Pink Lips by Laura Mercier
Backstage at Houston fashion week: Bold looks and less chaos than New York
As Audi Fashion Houston comes closer to its Cinderella moment, Laura Mercier global makeup artist and exclusive beauty designer Jeffrey Tasker and his team are poised and ready to make 30 models ready for their runway close-ups. Expect pretty pink lips and more subdued eyes from Monday night’s design trio of Cesar Galindo, Lyn Devon and Christian Siriano and lots of ways ticket-holders can get some of their own runway magic at Laura Mercier’s Flawless Space and VIP lounge.
There’s plenty of activity backstage at the Wortham, but Tasker and his team are good-to-go with lighted stations, powder palettes chosen, brushes clean and at the ready. Tasker is a veteran of New York Fashion Week, and is prepared for Houston’s debut. Surveying the Audi Pavilion tent where Laura Mercier staff are setting up for shoppers and touch-ups, Tasker marvels at how collected everyone is-considering the doors are set to open in mere hours.
“Everybody is very calm. In New York, by this time of the day, it’s chaos,” he said. “I lived in New York and have been here for five years and I have to say, Houston is very fashionable.”
Tasker carries a black folder filled with each designer’s inspiration and then the looks the Laura Mercier team created for their show. Toni Whitaker, David Peck and Mark Bouwer went bold and dramatic, looks that Tasker said are the most fun for artists.
While the rest of the runway looks will be less bold, they will reflect the mood of spring trends.
“We take textures and looks from coming spring colors and work with them for the shows. There’s lots of bright eye colors and softer lips for spring, but in pink,” Tasker said. “We show a lot of skin, that’s dewy and glows, rather than a matte look.”
Audi Fashion Houston will also mark the debut of a new gel-based lip technology, that Tasker says goes on like Jell-O, comes in a lipstick and is highly pigmented. It won’t be available until the spring, but he says it will revolutionize lip color.
There will be opportunities to get the famous Laura Mercier Flawless Face at the Flawless Space in the Audi Pavilion. The pop-up shop is loaded with products to try and buy (make a purchase of $25 or more and get free shipping, plus a gift-with-purchase) and there’s also a touch-up station for those who need a refresher.
Feeling philanthropic? Answer the question online question, “What is Flawless?” and the company will donate $1 to the Gulf Relief Foundation. Those with V.I.P tickets will also have admission to the Laura Mercier lounge in the Wortham Theater Center.