New York Fashion Week:: Backstage at Oscar de la Renta.

if you have followed tulip louise for a while, you already know about my ongoing love affair with Oscar de la Renta {aka ODLR}.  the seed was planted years ago, but my experience during new york fashion week in february totally sealed the deal {click here + here}!  being invited to cover backstage for the revlon sponsored shows again in september was such an honor {you can catch rag & bone + j. mendel s/s '13 here}.  i wanted to wear something comfortable and girlie with an unexpected cool factor, so i landed on my hot pink custom skirt via esque + a shrunken baseball t-shirt!  you can only imagine the surprise when i arrived backstage to find that a l-a-r-g-e portion of the collection was hot pink.  cosmic?  i think yes. 

{l to r} making final outfit selects // in cab on way to show venue // dinner + drinks with my dear friend seth plattner

{l to r} the office of mr. ODLR himself // cara delvigne being goofy backstage // the show finale {my absolute favorite}!

i was a bad little fashion blogger and failed to get a strong picture of my outfit that day, but my friend ashley haguewood surprised me with this photo she snapped while i was settling up cab fare!

{l to r} obligatory mirror photo! :)  //  karlie kloss modeling hair + makeup // the products that created the hot pink smooches

 

revlon's direction for makeup at oscar de la renta was a suede-matte fuchsia lip and a slightly flushed cheek, to compliment the hot pink + mustard + and turquoise hair extensions all of the models wore.  gucci westman {mentioned here + here} led the makeup artist pack again this season, and her tools to get the fresh faced look were photoready cream blush in 'flushed,' illuminance creme shadow in 'not just nudes,' colorstay ultimate suede lipstick in 'muse' and 'preview,' and a just bitten stain in 'crave.'

photo by ashley haguewood

 

the hair was swept up in a classic french twist, with brightly colored extensions streaked throughout.  during our interview, orlando pita said the hair was loosely inspired by holly golightly-- i can see it!  

 

the show nails were painted in 'shock' {neon pink} + 'envy' {sea green} + 'flirt' {soft opal white}, from ODLR's spring 2013 limited edition set. 

everything about Oscar de la Renta's latest collection was playful and fun, yet it was dynamic enough for most everyone.  my personal favorites were the more classic pieces, in flattering silhouettes {ODLR most definitely understands a woman's body}.  my 'fresh pick' was a close tie between the black floor length gown and the silver metallic skirt + blouse combo. . . but the latter ended up winning for me.

two pinch me moments:

1-- getting to peer into the designer's personal office just moments before the show, and find him clicking away at his computer {impeccably dressed, mind you}!  as if that wasn't enough, he then invited company.  at one point it was a meeting of the minds between oscar de la renta, andre leon talley, eliza bolen, and karlie kloss.

2--  said supermodel {karlie kloss}, who opened and closed the collection, took a photo with me and playfully asked "are you walking in the show?" {because of my pink skirt + pout}.  this is a woman at the peak of her career that has graced multiple VOGUE covers, walked for the best designers {i.e. karl lagerfeld, marc jacobs, zac posen}, and been in countlesss ads {think victoria's secret, alexander mcqueen, neiman marcus, dior}.  with all of those factors, she was still just as sweet as pie!  yes, she scored a forever fan that day.  when you take a sub-par photo {that you still want to share} next to a beautiful supermodel, you're really only left with one option... to add heart shaped glitter glasses as a distraction.  am i right?  ;)

yours truly-