NYFW Hervé Léger show and EXCLUSIVE interview with VAL GARLAND for Downtown Magazine NYC

My experience as a Fashion Editor at DOWNTOWN Magazine NYC during NYFW: 

We were so excited when we received the Hervé Leger Fashion show invite for fashion from the Sephora Pro team.  Immediately a series of questions began to cross our minds: Will we see some more  body cotton dresses on the runway? Should we expect new designs? Will this collection be a complete departure from the past?  What celebrities will attend?

Everything was blurry until we arrived backstage, into the fashion show’s core where everything took shape in front of our eyes between the rushing, the falling,  the fitting, the cameras flashing and the interviews.

Happily, we were able to score an EXCLUSIVE  interview with the so called Queen of Brushes–the most famous make-up artist in the world–VAL GARLAND.

Over the last decade she has worked on various projects – from Alexander McQueen catwalk shows to  Kate Moss commercial shoots, as well as collaborating with Vogue, Dazed & Confused, i-D and Visionaire. All of this  led her to work internationally with the biggest names of the industry, including Mario Testino, John Galliano, Chloë Sevigny.

VAL GARLAND tells us everything about the Hervé Léger overall make up look: A clean-cut Californian with  beachy sunkissed hair she made us immediately realize what they mean when they say: “I wish they all could be California girls!”

After sharing this unique moment with the crazy busy Val Garland and thanking her for taking some of her time , we ran out of the backstage to attend the show. I couldn’t believe there were so many  celebrities including, Russell Simmons, Miss USA, Nana Meriwether, Supermodel Coco Rocha, designer Max Mazria, and such popular  fashion bloggers such as Fashiontoast‘s Rumi Neely. Still, all we could think about was getting inside, finding our seats and getting at least one look out of  this new collection.

After  the door closed and  everyone was seated, the moment we were all expecting was here. This little moment where silence reigns, where editors, celebrities, photographers, make up/hair artists and models hearts begin to race and everyone in the room is anticipating every second.

That’s when the playlist starts and the first look hits the runway. Cameras start flashing, pens and notebooks are out of bags and everyone offers their opinions.

The show was full of sexy, glam, signature-fitted dresses with a lot of sequins and detailed designs. The looks were paired with over-sized baseball caps that lent a beachy vibe to the ensembles.

The large fur coats with HUGE hoods were my favorites! My hand couldn’t stop writing “coat, fur, hood, love, love, LOVE!” The other thing that caught my eye was the mix of leather-harness detailing and sheer sleeves in an array of green, bronze, amber, and other dark color dresses.

The overall collection was absolutely stunning, with a range of clothing that could appeal to  either  young adults or mature women.

Between the make up and hair choices, the baseball caps and the evening gowns, the only way I can describe this line was  “California meets NYC”. Not a likely mix…but one that works!

– hannawearsprada for Downtown Magazine NYC (http://s.tt/1zPx6)

Photos & Video By Lana D. Wilson