Yes We Afri-Can: Lela Rose, Spring 2009

For Spring 2009, Lela Rose takes us on safari.

Backstage, I had the opportunity to chat with my mane man, Ted Gibson, about the inspiration for the collection and the hair.



"Lela found this book and it had portraits of African women and these really incredible outfits and hairdos. So we took the same idea and she adopted them into the clothes and I adopted them into the hair," he said. "And what I’m doing is a modern interpretation of what these looks were. So I’m doing braids and roughing up the braids. It’s a cornrow in the front. It’s African inspired, but I think what’s great about it is that any woman can really wear it."

Ted used Tame It - a professional, shine-boosting styling lotion - to control flyaways and frizzies. Hairsheet Styling Sheets added polish and shine, and Beautiful Hold Hairspray secured the style in place.



Beauty.com makeup artist Tina Turnbow used Stila products to transform each model into "a very adventurous, outdoorsy woman on safari." To create the perfect canvas, Tina applied Natural Finish Oil Free Makeup and Perfecting Concealer. To impart a pop of color, Convertible Color in Poppy was added to cheeks and Cranberry Lip Glaze was pressed onto lips.

Tina then swept Stila Sun across the tops of the cheekbones and the bridge of the nose and the forehead to mimic a "sunburned/windburned face."

Tina used Dune Eye Shadow, conservatively, on the lids - to keep the look bare. Finally, Brow Set was applied with #18 Dual Ended Brow Brush to create what Tina called an "indulgent eyebrow, Audrey Hepburn style."

Before escaping the hustle and bustle backstage, I had the opportunity to chat up Stila celebrity makeup artist Sarah Lucero. I asked her to name her favorite products that real women can use to achieve runway looks.

"For Lela Rose, it’s all about the skin and healthy, flushed cheeks…so Convertible Color and the Tinted Moisturizer creates a really good sheer wash of color," she replied. "It has SPF, hydration and pigment. So what it’s going to do is even out your skin with pigment versus heavy weight. It’s great for everyday women and it’s what we use on the runway. It’s so versatile and you can feel like a pro makeup artist everyday in your bathroom."