Victoria Beckham received rave reviews for the gorgeous collection of dresses she showed at New York Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2010, and the makeup was equally praise worthy. Victoria’s vision for the show was minimal makeup with maximum impact. The result: nude lips, silvery eyes and shimmery skin with a play on textures.

Victoria’s Fall 2010 collection is full of gorgeously structured silhouettes with beautiful draping detail and her signature zippers. The color palette–rich emerald, paprika and sapphire hues paired with nudes, metallics and black–added to the collection’s modernity. Make sure to check out the collection on Style.com.

A fun fact?  The private residence where the show took place, on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, was featured in the “Sex and the City” movie. Remember the scene where Big shows Carrie the apartment he has bought her, complete with fashionista (read: MY) dream closet? It was filmed in the room where Victoria did the presentations.

PRODUCTS USED

• Lancôme Color Design Eyeshadow in Optic and Crème Lustré Lancôme
• Lancôme Ombre Magnetique in Silver (NEW for Fall 2010)
• Lancôme Hypnôse Drama Mascara in Excessive Black
• Lancôme Ageless Minérale Perfecting and Setting Mineral Powder in Translucent
• Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer #1
• Lancôme Blush Subtil in Miel Glace
• Lancôme Effacernes Waterproof Concealer (used on the lips)
• Lancôme L’Absolu Rouge Lipstick in Rich Cashmere

For the makeup, Francelle did a modern take on 1930′s Hollywood glamour in keeping with Victoria’s “Dick Tracy” inspiration for the clothes.  She paired a metallic eye with a pale, nude lip. First, Francelle swept Color Design Eyeshadow in Optic on the entire lid to the brow bone and added Color Design Eyeshadow in Crème Lustré to the lower lid. Ombre Magnetique in Silver (coming this fall!) was used in the crease for a shiny, metallic finish. The new Hypnôse Drama Mascara coated the top lashes only. The skin was dusted with Ageless Minérale Powder in Translucent for a luminous complexion. Blush Subtil in Miel Glace was applied lightly to the cheekbones for an added touch of color. For the lips, Francelle first dotted them with concealer (a great trick for ensuring you get a super nude pout with staying power) then applied L’Absolu Rouge Lipstick in Rich Cashmere. The nails were short and groomed with just clear nail polish and the hair, by Didier Malige, was pulled back in messy version of a French twist.

Lebanese Couturier Abed Mahfouz to Launch Ready-to-Wear Collection at New York Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall / Winter 2010-2011.  Mahfouz, who presented his couture collections in Paris this past January,  debuted the Ready-to-Wear collection Wednesday, February 17^th at the Altman Building.

Located away from the tents of Bryant Park, the Altman Building is in the heart of the architecturally interesting downtown Chelsea area.  The building itself is a landmark with some retail history – it was originally built in 1896 as the carriage house for the B. Altman’s Department Store.  The elegantly-styled and recently restored Altman Building is a perfect fit for this ready-to-wear collection.

My favorite look is this draped v-neck dress.  It’s so feminine and echoes old-world Hollywood elegance.   It’s so wearable for women with a variety of shapes, the forgiving drape is flattering to curvy shapes and adds curves for ladies who need them.

Inspired by a woman’s femininity, Mahfouz has created a glamorous and modern line for his induction into the prêt-à-porter category; Mahfouz’s designs celebrate the female form, accenting structured silhouettes through draping, highlighting a woman’s elegant shoulders and slim waist.

Mahfouz establishes the mood for fall through his color palette, which varies from black and ruby red, to cobalt blue and grey marine.  Deep, rich jewel tones that are not only undeniably elegant, but also reflective of the season.

Mahfouz has also paired unlikely fabrics, such as wool with silk, to create movement, and incorporating snakeskin jersey, jacquard with embossed circles and 3D-like accessories, to add texture.

The strong shoulder in both this slim jacket and this boat neck gown slim the waist and balance the hips.  I can’t wait to see the Abed Mahfouz  Ready-to-Wear Collection in stores!

Vevant, the exclusive fashion website and official media sponsor of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, has partnered with NYC street graffiti artist Phetus to create fashion-inspired mannequin installations that will be on display throughout the week, including a Haiti-inspired mannequin that will be auctioned off at the end of the week to benefit Haitian relief.

Alongside pop culture pioneers and genre defining icons, Phetus has etched a prolific pathway as unusual and non-conforming as his street artist moniker. Vevant both recognizes and supports the artistic talent and vision of Phetus and is proud to spotlight the exciting artist to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week attendees and the world at large.

Phetus has created original art installations for each day of the eight-day event. Every day, the Vevant Lounge in the Bryant Park Tents will feature a new and original mannequin bust, 4’ x 6’ canvas and accompanying 12? x 12? canvas in themes relating to the world of fashion and current events.

“I started out inspired just because of my excitement for fashion and style in general,” says Phetus of the chic collaboration. “Also, I’m naturally driven by a lot of the elements that are tied into these installations. Once the concept to use the mannequins was solidified, the ideas kept flowing.”

To wit: Rugged Blue. An American classic and worldwide icon of cool, there is no textile more rugged and true than denim, as seen in this stylish installation.  The Phecasso mannequin, meanwhile, pays tribute to Picasso’s cheery palette and features fashionistas as its source of inspiration. And Neg di san fe (Haitian for “People talk and don’t act”) was created in tribute to the people of Haiti, with the intention of putting art to action.

Explains Phetus, “I’d like people to take away the realization that they can do something. I’m an artist, not a Red Cross worker or a philanthropist, but I wanted to do something. We all have some talent or ability that with a little bit of thought and effort could be used to do something positive in this world.”

Phetus is also enthusiastic about the chance to partner with an equally forward-thinking web site. “I’ve found the minds behind Vevant to be a real resource in formulating and executing my artistic endeavor,” he says. “Having them along for the ride has been a good time and I hope we get to do it again soon. It’s been rewarding to take on a project of this scale and visibility.”

In the days leading up to the event, Elite Gudz also provides a live web stream documenting Phetus’ creation of these unique art pieces, which can be seen at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/elite-gudz-studio-cam3.

Inspired by the opulence of ancient Egypt, Andre Rodman, the lead stylist for Frédéric Fekkai, sought to channel Cleopatra and her iconic stick straight bob for Rachel Roy’s Fall/Winter 2010 Collection.

To create this look, he first mixed the Fekkai Silky Straight Ironless Smooth Finish Serum and Fekkai Coiff Contrôle Ironless Straightening Balm and applied the product to the entire head thoroughly with his fingers.  Then, Andre dried the hair straight using a large round brush sweeping the hair back so that there was no center part. He then drew back a piece of hair under each ear to create small hidden pony tail under the nape of the neck which added a bit of body to the crown of the head and added a bit of definition to the look.  Andre finished the look with the Fekkai Sheer Hold Hairspray.

PRODUCTS USED:

Fekkai Silky Straight Ironless Smooth Finish Serum

This weightless serum wraps each hair strand with concentrated smoothing agents and fights humidity, frizz and curl all day for sleek and shiny hair.

Fekkai Coiff Contrôle Ironless Straightening Balm

A miraculous, non-chemical balm that provides weightless straightening while you blow dry.  This creamy balm contains special featherweight silicones for sleek, chic hair that resists frizz and fly-always. Delivers a salon blow-out, sans stylist.

Fekkai Coiff™ Bouffant Lifting & Texturizing Spray Gel

A lightweight lifting styler that adds height at the roots or allover for maximum mane. Lift a little or a lot with this alcohol-free water-soluble texturizing spray mist that offers medium, touchable hold.

What I loved most about this look is how it is such a statement yet so simple to apply to real life!  It’s not a full on Cleopatra look, but embodies the elegance and essence of that time.

I am a huge fan of Fekkai hair products and they are available at: Fekkai.com, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Sephora, or Beauty.com.