Joey Arias: The Drag Artist Talks Beauty, Bowie, and the Three Things Every Woman Needs

When asked to describe the chanteuse that is Joey Arias, the cabaret legend herself (or himself—deciding upon a pronoun poses a challenge) can sum it up it one word: seductive. Unlike many of the contestants on RuPaul’s Drag Race, Arias understands the art of “simplicity in makeup.” And when she uses the word simplicity, she doesn’t necessarily mean a dash of powder and lip balm (although that’s perfectly acceptable for day or a wedding). For stage, she contours (the last step of her maquillage method) but doesn’t take it as far as your regular drag queen. “I don’t put on any white and brown,” the two pigments typically employed to carve out cheekbones. Arias doesn’t do anything “clown-y,” either, although she would if it meant “getting paid.” Longtime collaborator Thierry Mugler gave the performer a piece of advice that still resonates, which Arias recalled during our interview: “If you’re going to do your own thing, just [put on a] black bra and panties. Don’t start putting all this shit on yourself. No pinks and greens and fluff and feathers. Please don’t do that!” With her perfectly articulated arches, razor-sharp liquid liner, and impeccable red lips, she’s like a forties film star, citing women like Joan Crawford and Marlene Dietrich as icons. Here, Arias shares some of her best beauty tips and how she continues the magic after the makeup comes off.

—Amber Kallor

The scene: Cabaret lounge-meets-museum. Irving Plaza in Union Square is transformed by MAC Cosmetics to pay homage to Arias—with some of her most memorable ensembles on display, along with her new film directed by Mugler, Z Chromosome. A series of makeup wipes—some reminiscent of the Rorschach test—are also encased in glass in the middle of the room.

Can I first ask you about these makeup wipes? Was it your idea to turn them into art?

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It started as a joke years ago. I think it started in Berlin. But it wasn’t until I did Cirque du Soleil Zumanity [Arias was the Las Vegas show's emcee for five years] that I was rushing to get out of the theater—after, like, two shows, I’d throw the wipe on the table and of course they would lay there, and I’d leave and come back and see these wipes and I’d think, Huh, what am I doing here? This is kind of something! So I started saving them and I’ve got probably like two or three thousand wipes now from Cirque du Soleil.

So you’ve been saving them since you hit the stage in Vegas?

Since 2003. Every time I do a show, we do the wipes. My partner, Juano Diaz, is a painter from Scotland. He had an art show in New York about two years ago. It was his art, and people wanted to meet him. And he asked me if I could throw up a little section of some art with him. Because, you know, I went to art school and everything. Juano, he got them and actually framed [the wipes] floating on glass…I had about ten of them among his paintings. I had a row, and it said, “MAC Wipes: Create Your Own Art.”

Is there a technique to how you take off your makeup?

It all depends on how you feel that night when you’re taking your makeup off. It might be a little aggressive or it might be gentle. Sometimes it’s like a rush. It all depends on how I want the eyes to come out, or do I want them to look like more of a mask, or do I want them to marry each other, do I want them to be more abstract like two people kissing or something from outer space? It all depends on how I rub the wipe. People are just blown away.

So what are your go-to MAC products that eventually end up on the wipes?

Well, the MAC wipes, for damn sure! I like their lipsticks and their shadows. All the shadows. I don’t really try too many colors because there’s a certain scheme. I’m not really always like, “Pink lips!” I’m a brand already, so I’ve got to stick to a look. In this video [Z Chromosome], I stretched out and did some different things—I was very Cirque du Soleil. Mugler wanted me to put red glitter on. That was for fun.

Which red are you wearing in the film?

It’s Russian Red with some black liner, and then I put the red glitter dust [on top].

Is the black for depth?

Yes, to give it a shape.

What’s the best beauty trick you ever learned?

One of the most beautiful makeup artists I’ve ever met is Mathu Andersen, who does all of RuPaul’s makeup, and he’s taught me a few tricks…Maybe only four or five makeup artists have [ever] done my makeup, but just the simplicity of makeup and shadowing—it takes time. You can’t rush. Keep it natural.

So you don’t necessarily contour like a Kardashian. What’s your technique?

Look at my cheekbones and just [see] how I want my face to move. On RuPaul’s Drag Race they put white. I just put a little base on, very light, and get a sponge and kind of wipe it off, and then powder to set everything down. Then I draw the eyes, eyebrows, lashes, lips, and then contour. Contour is last.

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So Mugler suggests keeping it simple with just a black bra and panties. Is that all a girl needs?

Just a black bra and panties! And stockings. That’s it. Gotta keep it elegant, gotta keep it, as Mugler says, “Classy, classic, and cheap.”

What does your nighttime beauty routine entail?

Well, it all depends. If I’m going to do shows, I have to pace myself. And usually the shows I do now are about eight or nine, so it’s like, prepare, relax, gym, e-mails, feed our little dog Grumble, take a bath, start looking for an outfit, and then get ready.

How long does it take you to apply your makeup?

It could be anywhere from fifteen minutes to three hours.

What about taking it off?

That part takes about three seconds.

At least you’ve found a way to make your hard work stand the test of time with your wipe art. So what is the craziest, best night out you’ve ever had?

My craziest, best night out ever? I’ve got so many of them! But I would say in Paris, with Mugler, having dinner. There were about ten people—I’m not going to say the names. Mugler said, “We’re going to have dinner with Iman and her husband.” And I was kind of like, “OK!” And we were all there and all of a sudden they walked in, and I’m like, “Duh! David Bowie!” I sang with him on Saturday Night Live, so we saw each other a couple of times very briefly. He walked in and he had not seen me [since] I transformed, started dressing up, and we sat there for hours—hours—screaming and laughing, having the best time. It was amazing. And then we walked through Paris and David put his arm around me and said, “You really blossomed so beautifully. I’m so proud of you. You just moved on.” He said, “I wish you looked like this when we did Saturday Night Live!” He probably wouldn’t have worked with me if I did that! We were laughing.

What were you wearing that night?

Oh, I was wearing a Mugler suit. Elegant. Very chic. Nothing crazy.

You recently got married—what kind of makeup did you wear on your wedding day?

Seriously, I wore just a powder.

No lashes or anything?

No, no. I just put powder on. Because it was daytime—it was like 7 in the morning. I just wore a black suit and powder…And beautiful black glasses—they’re called mantaray, so they looked very alien.

So no need even for mascara.

No, honey. You put the lashes on when you have a business meeting because that’s when you mean business.

David Beckham's Bandana Diaries

There was a lot for fashion fans to appreciate in last night’s BBC1 David Beckham Brazil travelogue Into The Unknown.

First, the footage of Victoria, pristine in a black sweater with white Wednesday Addams collar, anxious about the humidity that her husband would soon encounter. “What are you going to do about your hair?” she asked, adding: “I don’t even go to humid countries because of my hair … you should wear a hat through the whole thing.”

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Sure enough, Beckham wore a selection of chapeaus in Brazil, from baseball caps to wide-brimmed straw hats. But really, it was all about his bandanas. Beckham’s bandanas were black and red and blue; they were hair bands, neckerchiefs and accessories, wrapped tightly around wrists and draped handsomely out of jeans pockets. Sometimes, he wore two bandanas at once.

Given that much of Beckham’s trip was spent riding a motorbike, his bandanas were practical, sure, but Brand Beckham knows its fashion motifs and cannot help deploying them, even in the Amazon jungle. According to US GQ, Bandanas are “this season’s undisputed soft accessory”, as seen on the spring/summer 2014 catwalk of Louis Vuitton, where the scarves were used as neck-ties and as an inspiration for printed trainers.

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Prior to Louis Vuitton, bandanas have been a slow-burning street trend, popping up on twentysomething celebrities for a couple of years. Justin Bieber, for example, ties his at the front of his head, in the style of Tupac Shakur, while One Direction’s most fashion-forward heartthrob, Harry Styles, wears his as a Keith Richards-style headband. As the existence of many “how to tie a bandana like a gangster” YouTube tutorials attests, for some young men – often the posh ones, it must be said – the 2014 bandana has become popular partly because of its gangland connotations. Perhaps this is why the classic rock Axl Rose bandana – worn wide, across the forehead, over long, poker-straight hair – has yet to be revived. But as the 1990s comeback continues, whether we like it or not, it is probably only a matter of time. Whether you see bandanas as a worry, a fashion statement or a simple piece of biker practicality, they are definitely back. Spot them on sweaty young heads this festival season.

Festival Beauty: Hair and Makeup Ideas for Governors Ball

Cross the artist lineup from Coachella with an island in the East River and wildly unpredictable weather and you get Governors Ball. Taking place this weekend on Randall's Island in New York City, it's the music festival for city slickers who don't have flowers to wear in their hair and wouldn't dream of sleeping under the stars. This year, it's going to be 80 degrees and sunny, which means you'll need SPF, sunglasses, and a sweatproof beauty look.

Hair. This mohawk-braid-ponytail hybrid (above) does double-duty: It keeps your hair out of your face all day without falling apart, and it makes you look cooler than everyone else. Here's how to do it:

1. Spray a dry shampoo or texturizing spray all over dry hair to bulk it up as much as possible.

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2. Gather the center four inches of hair at the hairline and tease it, then secure it into a pompadour with bobby pins.

3. Starting with the hair right behind the pompadour, begin braiding an upside-down French braid, crossing pieces under one another rather than over so the braid sticks up as high as possible. As you add sections of hair from the sides of your head, make sure to pull them tight.

4. You can braid down to the nape of your neck if you have shorter hair (or if your arms are starting to cramp) or go all the way to the end. Secure with an elastic and mist with hair spray.

Makeup. Putting on foundation in humid weather always feels a little gross, but Allure editors swear by Shiseido UV Protective Compact Foundation SPF 36 and Eau Thermale Avène High Protection Tinted Compact SPF 50 for sticky summer days. They provide light coverage with a matte finish and are small enough to fit in your pocket for touch-ups. And since music festivals are as much about the music as they are about getting photographed—and cool street-style girls always have bold lips—you want a lipstick that won't end up all over your face but doesn't feel dry and tight, either. Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick in Melted Ruby is a classic, bright red that won't compete with your badass hair.

Pedicure. Birkenstocks are back, and all the fashion-y girls are wearing them in silver. If you're wearing 'em, manicurist April Foreman recommends choosing a cool tone for your pedicure polish. "Gray, blue, and violet look best with silver," she says. Her pick: Essie in Parka Perfect.

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Mel Ottenberg and Adam Selman Talk Rihanna’s Scandalous CFDA Look

“It’s so naked,” said Mel Ottenberg while en route to the CFDA Awards with Rihanna, the 2014 Fashion Icon of the Year. “I don’t know if it’s shocking—I’m with her all the time, so my shock gauge is off, but I told her that I thought she was ready for this dress a while ago, and that I wasn’t. I’m the prude, and I’m just catching up.”

Naturally, Ottenberg was referring to RiRi’s translucent CFDA gown—a fishnet number smattered with more than 230,000 Swarovski crystals. Designed by the star’s collaborator (and Ottenberg’s boyfriend), Adam Selman, the look leaves little to the imagination. So if Instagram explodes tonight, it’s Rihanna’s fault. “We definitely wanted to make it a little bit scandalous,” Selman told right after the chanteuse walked out the door. “The dress is just fishnet and crystals and a couple of fingers crossed. But fashion is about beauty, and the [female] body is part of that.”

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“So many people didn’t sleep last night,” admitted Ottenberg. “I would say at least eight people worked nonstop from 8 p.m. last night to 3 p.m. today putting on the finishing touches.” Equal parts Deco showgirl and Hollywood glam, the gown was conceived last month in L.A., while Selman and Ottenberg were dressing Rihanna for the MTV Movie Awards. “We started talking about it, and I sketched it shortly after,” said Selman, noting it was a heavily collaborative process. In fact, the matching do-rag was all Rih’s idea. “It brings such a Rihanna feel to the whole thing,” said Selman. “It seals the deal.” Selman’s initial sketches of the outfit debut exclusively here.

Further accessorized with a pink Pologeorgis fur stole, Manolo Blahnik heels, a ring and earrings by Paul Morelli, and a pinky ring by Jacob, the look is decidedly less tame than what we’re used to seeing at the CFDAs. Gasps and whispers no doubt echoed throughout Alice Tully Hall. But did you really expect the pop princess—who was recently banned from Instagram for her nip-pics—to turn up in a standard DVF wrap dress?

Seeing as Rihanna’s every move is photographed ad nauseam, one would imagine that designers were chomping at the bit to dress her for the Oscars of fashion. So why did she go with Selman? “We wanted to do an American designer, and he was just the right choice,” explained Ottenberg. “He’s worked so closely with us, and so hard for us. He’s turned it out for her so many times, and we were excited to do this with him.”

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Selman, who has not only crafted custom tour costumes for Rihanna since 2011 but also co-designed her River Island capsule, was touched by the choice. “She could have had any designer make any dress, so for me it’s an exciting statement that she chose to wear me on such a big night of fashion. She has really put me in the spotlight.” Selman won’t be attending the ceremony with Mme. Rih (“I’m having a cocktail instead,” he laughed), but he’ll be meeting up with the singer for dinner to celebrate their sartorial coup.

“I did this look for her so she’d have a good time,” offered Ottenberg when asked what he was going for. “This was the perfect night do to something fun, and I wanted her to have something great that you couldn’t find anywhere else in the world.” To that point, it’s doubtful that anyone else on the planet could have pulled off the ensemble—which, for the record, I’d have to say she did. “She’s daring, she’s bold, and she’s not afraid of fashion. She doesn’t let fashion overcome her,” said Selman of the Bad Gal’s icon status. “She embraces it and makes everything she puts on her own. Not many people do that.”

Taroni and Abraxas Rex's Line of Scarves Gives Documentary Film a Stylish New Medium

It isn’t easy to inherit a centuries-old family business, even when that business is creating some of the most beautiful silk known to man. Max Canepa is the twelfth generation of his family to take the reins at Taroni, one of the oldest silk-weaving mills in Como, Italy (and one of the famed suppliers for Dior, Giambattista Valli, Saint Laurent, Valentino, and Schiaparelli—ever the luxury disciple, even Kanye West picked up some threads there while working on his own collection a few seasons back), and is determined to bring the 1880-founded factory firmly into the here and now. Enter artist and renaissance man Paris Kain, whose company, Abraxas Rex, has collaborated with Alexander Wang and Calvin Klein, and is known for its one-off productions of painstakingly painted kimonos; chunky, covetable jewelry; and innovative fashion films. The two came together to film Opus Industrionica, a kaleidoscopic acid-trip of a take on the mechanical production that goes into creating a ream of silk, replete with mesmerizing close-ups on the fifties German shuttle looms humming away, set to a score composed by Kain. Stills taken from the short movie were printed onto light silk and cashmere blend Taroni scarves (a blend that Canepa spent six months developing at his factory).

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The final result? When worn, the scarves’ very literal illustrations become anything but. Marigold-color metal railings and slate blue machinery artfully twist and mimic dreamlike abstractions: the patterns found on the wings of a monarch butterfly, lights reflected on a wet city street, streaks of fresh paint. “There’s so many possibilities with this company, I think we’re just starting to scratch the surface,” says Canepa. With the Victoria and Albert Museum including Taroni in its current celebration of Italian fashion (on until July 27), we can’t wait to see what’s next.

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Becoming a hair powder junkie

Like almost everyone, my hair started getting oily when I was in my early teens.

But unlike all the other bad stuff that often comes with puberty, it hasn't gone away.

Back then, the only sure-fire way of "degreasing" was lacing my hairbrush with Johnson's Baby Powder and brushing it through. It worked, but it also left white powder all over my hair and scalp that was impossible to disguise.

Fast forward 20-plus years and every major hair company has at least one dry shampoo in its line-up.

Most are designed to not only remove the oil but also leave hair shiny and smelling like it's been freshly washed.

But while we may be spoilt for choice in terms of options, what I've discovered is that they don't all do a great job.

Some still leave a thick, white powder on your hair (especially noticeable on brunettes) and some just don't get rid of the oil.

Batiste, one of the original dry shampoos on the market, overcame the white powder problem by adding a hint of colour into some of its products. This is the reason the Batiste Dry Shampoo, $17, is still one of my favourites.

The basic principle of these products hasn't changed much since those early baby-powder days, but the application

method has.

Most dry shampoos are now in aerosol form, which means you can spray them directly onto the roots and quickly brush or massage them through to remove the oil.

The often-overlooked added advantage of a good dry shampoo is that it not only refreshes dayold hair, it will also add extra volume and texture. In fact, I'm so accustomed to the extra boost these products give my fine hair that I use them every day - even on freshly washed hair.

A new-found favourite is Davines Hair Refresher, $30. It includes "odour neutralising molecules", and is great if you don't want a fragranced product.

Pureology Fresh Approach Dry Shampoo, $37.50, is another goodie and is specifically designed to prevent

colour-treated hair from fading.

I've had some great results with Schwarzkopf Professional OSIS+ Refresh Dust, $29.40, and also rate Fudge Dry Shampoo, $22.50, but it does require a little more brushing after applying the product to remove any visible powder.

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“RuPaul Is Kind of the Ultimate Supermodel,” and More Musings From Parsons Honoree Jason Wu

With his Hugo Boss debut and thriving eponymous line, Jason Wu is having a banner year. So it comes as little surprise that the 31-year-old Taiwanese-Canadian designer is picking up the top honor at Parsons’ 2014 Fashion Benefit, which is set for tomorrow evening. Ahead of the festivities, Wu, who’s both a Parsons alum and—fun fact—a former toy designer, took time away from wrapping his forthcoming Resort collection to speak with Style about his secrets to success, New York fashion’s changing landscape, and his obsession with RuPaul.

—Katharine K. Zarrella

Congratulations on the Parsons honor. Considering you studied at the school, do you feel you’ve come full circle?

I’ve kind of come full circle because I moved here in 2001 for my first year at Parsons. So it’s nice to go back and be a part of this new generation of the school, which has taught me a lot and done so much for me. It’s a very nice honor and I’m very proud. But I don’t think I’ve made it—at all. I think I’ve hit a nice moment in my career and it feels great to have your peers and people in your industry acknowledge your work. But that’s not to say that there’s not much more work to do.

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Between your debut at Hugo Boss, the success of your own line, and now this award, it seems that you’ve really hit your stride this year.

I don’t know. I always think there’s more to do, so I never think I’ve hit my stride. I always want more and want to do more, but certainly I think it’s been a great year so far, having done two shows in New York for the first time, and then getting this award. I guess that comes with age and experience and just doing it for a while. And I guess I’m getting a little better at it.

Do people look at you differently now that you’ve become the big man at Boss?

I don’t know if I’ve knocked it out of the park yet, but I think we had a really successful first show and I guess people look at me a little more like a grown-up, a big person.

Do you feel like a grown-up?

Yeah, I feel a little older. I guess that means grown-up. Definitely achier.

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Your Boss show was quite the star-studded event, and Jennifer Lawrence just wore a gown from your Fall collection to the world premiere of X-Men: Days of Future Past. What role does celebrity dressing play in a designer’s success?

Having people you admire wear your clothes in a very public way is inspiring, and it’s also a great way to get your work out there. It’s a great form of advertising. But for me it’s always about quality, not quantity, and it’s about dressing the few girls that I love. I’ve always been very loyal to Diane Kruger, Reese Witherspoon, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Kerry Washington—those are girls I dress over and over and over again. And you really develop a rapport and a friendship and a relationship. It goes back to the days when Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn, and Catherine Deneuve and Yves Saint Laurent, had those relationships that went [beyond commerciality]. Those were true relationships. It’s great to continue that tradition.

Can a young designer make it these days without a celebrity bump?

Everyone does it differently. There are some people who make clothes that are more appropriate for a red carpet and there are some people who don’t. I’m not sure if it’s a do-or-die situation, but you do have to seek exposure in your own way, in a way that’s right for your brand.

How did you come to dress Jennifer Lawrence for her X-Men premiere? Was that a big moment for you?

Yeah. Actually, we just found out [the day before]. I had no idea. I think there’s something so incredibly human about her. That’s why people love her so much—she’s so relatable. She shows a little imperfection—which we all have—and still looks stunning.

You mentioned that people like seeing imperfection in public figures. With that in mind, people seem to like you a lot. What’s your imperfection?

My imperfection is that I’m not as perfect as people seem to think I am. There’s a sense of controlled, sophisticated ideas in my clothes that are quite neat, and I think people sometimes think I’m that, but I’m not.

Are you messy?

I’m actually not messy. I’m terrible at waking up early. I’m terrible at a lot of things. I’m terrible at technology—anything computer-oriented. And I’m terrible at making anything on time, which I’m really working on. Actually, at Parsons, I was always really late, and you can’t be late at Parsons. You really get into trouble.

You, along with Alexander Wang, Prabal Gurung, Joseph Altuzarra, etc., are part of New York’s new guard. How do you think the creative climate here is changing?

Right now, New York fashion week is at its best. We have the most young talent [succeeding] at the same time for the first time in a long, long while, and this is the first time that we’ve really been acknowledged on an international level in a long time. That has to do with the fact that our generation’s outlook is global, rather than local. If you look at Style, you can read that anywhere in the world. That certainly helps. Having that kind of recognition all over the world is something that is quite rare. We’re experiencing something of a moment, a movement.

Why is that, do you think?

It is, in so many ways, New York’s time. All [of the young designers] in New York come from different international backgrounds. I think that’s a very nice representation of what New York fashion is about—it’s about diversity; it’s about fresh ideas; it’s about making its own statement, because we don’t have the hundreds of years of history. We’re really still, as a whole, quite new at it.

Do you remember how you felt when you were designing your Parsons graduate collection?

It’s so funny because I went to Parsons and my major was menswear, yet I make the most fit-and-flare dresses you could possibly imagine. I guess after going to the very masculine side, I felt like I was much more comfortable in the very feminine side, and eventually the combination of the two became my work as we know it today.

Why were you initially drawn to menswear?

I always liked the idea of tailoring. I always felt making a jacket was the most difficult thing, and it is still the most difficult. Sometimes the cleanest things with the least amount of details are the most intricate.

What do fashion students need to know that isn’t necessarily taught in school?

It’s that the fashion industry isn’t by-the-books. It’s not about following one specific route, it’s about paving your own way and making it your own. That’s what makes fashion interesting—individual visions—and not one person breaks through in the same way. We all get into it slightly differently—I worked in toys first.

Speaking of toys, I read that back in the day, you did a RuPaul doll?

I worked with RuPaul once! It was a long time ago. We made a RuPaul doll and it was wildly successful and that’s how I met him. Of course, RuPaul’s Drag Race is my favorite show ever. It’s like the best show on television. RuPaul is kind of the ultimate supermodel, and I have an obsession with supermodels.

Does your former life as a toy designer ever inform your fashion designs?

Attention to detail is what links my work as a toy designer and a fashion designer. Most people say I went from dressing toy dolls to real dolls. That’s kind of the press-y version of it. But in actuality, I did everything from designing the sculptural form of the dolls to the industrialization of the molds to the manufacturing. I always knew how to create a really good product, and I think that experience primed me for this industry.

How important has business savvy been to your success?

The balance between creativity and business-savvy is something that every young designer needs to be aware of, because it’s the reality of our industry. Having that balance is something that my generation of New York designers really thinks about.

What is your advice to fashion students who want to be the next Jason Wu?

I don’t know if they do want to be the next Jason Wu! But my advice is seize every opportunity and work hard. It sounds so obvious to say that, but the glamour of the industry can get distracting sometimes, and at the end of the day it’s about the work. I work weekends all the time—there’s no such thing as overtime for me because my own time is overtime. And I don’t have any vacations, so cancel those family plans.

Area Pops Up on Kenmare

Emerging label Area is moving full steam ahead. Since we last checked in with designers Piotrek Panszczyk and Beckett Fogg this past March, the pair’s embossed velvet, mohair, and Lurex debut Fall ’14 collection has been requested by mega-stylists (like Marie-Amélie Sauvé), shot by some major magazines, and is slowly but surely attracting retailers’ attention. But the duo wants to bring their vision to the public here and now, so they’ve created an accessible capsule collection, which will be sold in a pop-up shop in Nolita. Bowing this Saturday at 52 Kenmare Street (“we specifically timed it for the weekend before Memorial Day,” explained Fogg), the store will house shorts, tote bags, T-shirts, and tanks, all of which will feature the house’s signature braille-like texture. Speaking from experience, I can tell you that these are no ordinary basics—the pieces, offered in white, light gray, and charcoal, have a unique grain thanks to the embossing and perforation method, which the designers stumbled upon almost by accident. “We use the same process in our mainline, and one of the ‘flaws’ that comes along with it is that if you really jack up the heat and the pressure, the plate will punch through the garment. The people we work with are always horrified when it happens, and we constantly have to tell them, ‘No, we want it that way!’” laughed Fogg.

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The technique also causes the wares to morph and evolve as you wear them. For instance, if you send the styles to the dry cleaner, the material will turn into an irregular jersey mesh. If you get the fabric wet, the texture will soften. The designers note that you can even iron out the indentations to make irregular patterns. “This isn’t meant to be a very precious garment that makes you freak out when something happens to it,” stressed Fogg. “We actually have a timeline on our website, where you can see the textures up close, and how they will change. Basically, with these designs, we’ve sped up the process of wearing out your tee for you.”

Considering the designers’ mainline is priced between $600 and $1,600, the capsule is a steal, with each piece coming in at less than $100. That being said, if you’re in the mood to invest in these young talents’ work, you can see their Fall ’14 collection and place a private order. Have a browse—you won’t regret it.

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Pitti Reveals Big Plans, Makes Peace

This afternoon, the fashion set chowed down on bacon, rigatoni, and cream sauce, which can mean only one thing: the biannual Pitti Immagine Uomo/W luncheon. Held at downtown Italian eatery Da Silvano, the afternoon gathering gave Pitti CEO Raffaello Napoleone the opportunity to speak with press, buyers, and more about the plans for the Spring ’15 Florence fashion fair—and boy, are there a lot of them. 2014 marks the 60th anniversary of the Centro di Firenze per la Moda Italiana (essentially the organizing body for all things fashion in Firenze), so in addition to exhibitions and presentations from emerging and established designers, fairgoers will be treated to a three-museum exhibition by Francesco Vezzoli, who will insert his own work among classical paintings, sculptures, etc.; an opening opera starring Andrea Bocelli; an exhibition of Roman costume atelier Sartoria Tirelli’s confections; a bevy of film screenings; the debut of Nick Wooster’s capsule collection; and more. Also on the docket? Florence-born brands Salvatore Ferragamo, Gucci, Emilio Pucci, and Ermanno Scervino will each host special events.

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As reported last month, Z Zegna will be the featured guest menswear designer, but there will be no guest womenswear designer this season due to the many other events on the itinerary. We suppose the abovementioned powerhouses’ Florence-centric projects will suffice. “We don’t want it to be just another fair,” Napoleone told while sipping a glass of vino rosso. “We want to create a cultural experience.” Provided the itinerary lives up to expectations, it seems he’s done just that.

The overcrowded menswear schedule also came up in discussion this afternoon. If you’ll remember, there was a bit of a tiff between Pitti Uomo and the London Collections: Men last season, as the recently founded London shows conflicted with the Florence fair. “There will be no more troubles in 2015,” announced Napoleone. While the showcases will once again overlap this time around, next season the calendar for all four cities will shift, allowing London, Florence, Milan, and Paris each to have its fair share of time in the spotlight. (This helps explore the new dates for Paris Couture, too.) “This is better for everyone,” asserted Napoleone, telling us that it took one year to reach the final agreement. “Having four menswear events in Europe is a good opportunity because the manufacturers will remain strong and [we] can drive the [menswear] sensibility,” he added. It’s nice to see all the fashion cities (finally) playing nice.

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Celebrities Reveal What Their Mothers Taught Them About Beauty

Whether we like it or not, our mothers are the voice in our heads—murmuring that a skirt is just a little too short, that no matter how tired we are, we really should wash our face before bed, that we must embrace—not pick apart—what we see in the mirror. They were, after all, the first ones who told us we were beautiful (and made us wear sunscreen long before we knew what was good for us). In honor of mother’s day, we asked celebrities and beauty experts to share the most important lessons their mothers taught them about beauty.

“Everything was about blush all the time. Before I’d leave the house, my mom would always say, ‘You need more blush.’ Now I have this thing about blush—I always feel like I don’t have enough color on my cheeks.” —Jillian Dempsey, makeup artist

“My mom was a hairdresser when I was growing up, and she loved experimenting. She taught me that trying new things could be fun, whether it was dyeing my hair or chopping bangs. When you change your look, sometimes you stand a little taller. She also taught me to hold my head up high and make eye contact with everyone I meet. People will feel that energy and be drawn to you.” —Heidi Klum, model and host of Project Runway

“I love my mother, but it was the ’70s, and she sat outside with a sun reflector. So I sort of learned what not to do by watching her. But she is lovely, and she did tell me not to dress like a whore.” —Julie Bowen, actress

“My mother and I were very close. She died when I was 17. She was diagnosed with cancer when I was two, and they gave her six months to live. But she lived for 15 years, so we had 15 years of pure, seize-the-day, don't-let-any-moment-pass time together, and she taught me a hell of a lot. She taught me how to walk in Chanel pumps in fourth grade. She didn't know how long she would live, and she wanted to make sure I knew all the important things. She said to me, ‘OK, I’m going to break the news to you. You’re never going to grow over five feet tall, so you better learn how to walk in heels now, because you’re going to be living in them your whole life.’ So while everybody else was outside playing tag and hide-and-seek, I was doing drills in five-inch pumps, up and down my stairs. To this day, I can outrun any drag queen in platforms on a cobblestone street, no problem.” —Mally Roncal, makeup artist and founder of Mally Beauty

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“Being who you truly want to be—who you truly are—is one of the most important things my mother taught me. I wanted to be a skateboarder when I was 13. Didn’t know how to skateboard, but my mom let me wear a wallet chain and hold a skateboard under my arm and walk around like an idiot because that’s what I wanted to do.” —Kelly Osbourne, TV host

“The most important thing she taught me was to never want to look like someone else or be someone else. She was a ballerina, and she made me dance, and if I danced in a certain style or copied a specific person, she would tell me to dance like myself. She felt that if you knew how to own and respect what you’re given naturally, there’s nothing more beautiful.” —Tracy Anderson, founder of Tracy Anderson Method studios

“I learned that you should just be natural. We’re a very soap-and-water sort of family all the way. My mom is gorgeous, but it was always about how you carried yourself, how you felt about yourself.” —Rosario Dawson, actress

“I had bad acne as a teen, and my mother took it seriously. She brought me to a dermatologist, just like her mother had done for her. A lot of my friends didn’t go because their parents thought, Oh, it’s just pimples; suck it up. But it can really affect your self-esteem.” —Amy Wechsler, dermatologist

“My mother was a feminist. She would have slapped you if you said she was pretty. And she was pretty, but she wasn’t very much into looks or anything like that. She taught me about the mind and the meaning of life. I learned about being a strong woman, and I think that’s more beautiful to me.” —Julie Delpy, writer and actress

“My mother’s biggest thing was ‘Keep it simple.’ She had beautiful, dewy skin, and she would accent it with just black eyeliner and mascara. Even now, she’s 60 and I’m 40, and she gets all the compliments.” —Jeannia Robinette, makeup artist

“My mother taught me that neutrals work best. She loved a no-makeup look but was flawless. She taught me how to do my eyes with brown eyeliner and black mascara. Her tips are so timeless that I still follow them today.” —Aerin Lauder, founder of Aerin

“In the ’90s, I copied Kate Moss’s pencil-line eyebrows. When my mom saw them, she said, ‘If you never listen to anything I tell you again, grow your eyebrows back in.’ And I listened. Now that I’m in my 40s, I know there’s nothing worse than an overplucked eyebrow as you get older. When I meet a model with great brows, I tell her, ‘Hold on to every single one of those precious little hairs.’” —Kate Lee, makeup artist

“She used to say to me, ‘Don’t touch your skin around your face too much,’ ‘Eat the crusts of your bread or your hair will grow curly,’ and ‘Get to bed early so you don’t have bags under your eyes.’ But my mom was a psychologist, so it wasn’t so much beauty tips as, ‘Simone, where is this anger coming from? Let’s get in touch with this anger.'" —Simone de la Rue, founder of Body by Simone

“Two things she told me that I still abide by: Always wash your face at night and use cider vinegar. At the time I thought she was a little nutty about vinegar, because she used it for everything. She would drink it—a teaspoon in water every day—and use it to clean the kitchen. It’s a wonderful antimicrobial, but it also normalizes the pH of the skin. For years I got eczema, and I always used antibiotic creams, but one day she said, ‘Why don’t you put vinegar on that?’ And I did, and it went away, and that’s what I do now. It’s a wonderful trick.” —Jane Iredale, founder of Iredale Mineral Cosmetics

“My mom’s job took her to a lot of college campuses, and she had the opportunity to see all the college girls. At the time I was addicted to the Aussie-Sprunch-spray, two-sets-of-hot-rollers-and-a-perm look, and the best piece of advice she ever gave me was when she said, ‘I’m telling you, all the college girls are wearing their hair straight.’ And she helped me get a straightening iron and do it. I was like five years ahead of the curve.” —Molly Sims, actress

“We’re from Jamaica, and my mother taught me a few local tricks. She taught me that salt water keeps your skin acne-free. We soak a cotton ball in ocean water and wipe it all over our faces. At the end of the summer, we fill up bottles in the ocean to last us the winter. I have one in my refrigerator now, because every once in a while I do get a little acne, and it just sucks it out.” —Sheril Bailey, manicurist

“We lived on a farm, so we always had goat’s milk around. She would put it in my baths to help me with my eczema. I actually created a goats milk cream inspired by that.” —Kate Somerville, aesthetician and founder of Kate Somerville Skin Care

“A smoky eye or a red lip, but never both at the same time!” —Catherine Malandrino, designer

“She always told me to smile with my eyes. I learned that by watching her. And what that meant to her, and now to me, is: To be beautiful is to feel beautiful. If you felt good, and you felt confident, you could put that through your eyes in a picture. And that would be beautiful.” —Josie Maran, model and founder of Josie Maran Cosmetics

Michelle Obama Cuts the Ribbon at the Met Costume Institute's New Anna Wintour Costume Center

"Those of us blessed with the opportunity to succeed have an obligation to reach back and take others along with us,” said First Lady Michelle Obama this morning before cutting the ribbon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute’s new Anna Wintour Costume Center, calling the Vogue Editor in Chief an “inspiration multiplier.” Aerin Lauder, chair and sponsor of tonight’s gala to celebrate the opening of the Center’s inaugural show, "Charles James: Beyond Fashion," remarked, “There is no one more deserving of this honor.”

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It was a sentiment that echoed around the Temple of Dendur, where fashion’s top designers, both established and new-generation—from Oscar de la Renta (one of the event’s cochairs), to Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler, to Alexander Wang—gathered for the ceremony. Really it was difficult to think of a designer who wasn’t there.

“It’s just beyond to beyond what she brings to the world and to New York,” said Donna Karan of Wintour. “She’s such a dedicated and devoted woman,” Marc Jacobs agreed. J.Crew’s Jenna Lyons spoke of the work Wintour does to “preserve and protect” the fashion industry, much of which is behind the scenes. “Anna is so private about it. She deserves to be recognized.”

While honoring Wintour, Mrs. Obama also highlighted the importance of the Costume Institute, and its new Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Gallery and Carl and Iris Barrel Apfel Gallery, in the realm of education and the inspiration it provides young people; joking, those carefully constructed James dresses might make them “pay closer attention in geometry this semester.”

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Join Jacquie Aiche’s Girl Gang With a Custom Leather Jacket

It isn’t every day a jewelry designer steps up to the sewing machine, but Jacquie Aiche isn’t your typical jeweler. Aiche started making her career-defining “finger bracelets” (delicate gold chains connected to a matching ring) for friends out of her Los Angeles garage, and as requests poured in from Hollywood and beyond, she found herself in the center of a cult phenomenon. The hand chain became a sort of symbol for the Jacquie Aiche “tribe”—with no retailers, you had to be part of the in-crowd to snag one of the pieces.

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Now Aiche stocks her distinctive jewelry at Saks Fifth Avenue, Catbird, Shopbop, Curve, My Theresa, and more. Her posse is expanding, too. “We travel as a tribe when we go to all the shows,” Aiche told Style. “We laugh about how we’re going to form a girl gang.” Aiche’s crew piles on the jewelry, but now they have another (super-special) way to pledge their allegiance: Aiche’s new leather jackets. Debuting exclusively here on Style, the bomber styles are decidedly unique. Constructed from exotic skins like snake, deer, ostrich, and crocodile, the jackets are completely customizable and handmade to order. A range of cool decorative patches is available, like the eye of Horus or a marijuana leaf (both recurring motifs in her jewelry line).

“It’s been a very organic process,” Aiche said of her foray into outerwear. “We were on our way to Paris fashion week and it was really cold, so I asked the guy who makes our leather jewelry pouches to take the leftover material and make jackets for us. They were magnetic from the first moment we wore them.”

At last night’s piercing party hosted by Love Adorned, model Phoenix Cotner sported her jacket topless with a tangle of necklaces, and several others were on hand to show off their toppers. “Each jacket is for a different woman,” Aiche said. “Maybe she wants protection, so she chooses the eye.” She recently sent jackets to Rihanna and Miley Cyrus—the latter has her name stitched across the back (we’re guessing the marijuana leaf made it on there, too). Shoppers looking for something extra luxurious can add black rabbit fur lining. We’ll be keeping that in mind for the next Polar Vortex.

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Look gorgeous with these beauty quick fixes

Body image is something most people battle with. While some choose to go under the knife to get that perfect nose or pouty lips, it might not always be something you need to opt for. Apart from being expensive, painful and not to mention time consuming, going under the knife comes with its own set of complications. Recently a team of experts at Hairtrade has come up with seven non-surgical fixes for some of the most common body complaints. So to help you get that perfect look, Here is a step by step guide for quick, easy and cheap ways to achieve the look you want:

Fuller lips: Some women are lucky enough to have full lips but for the rest of them, instead of pumping them with collagen or botox, try a few make-up tricks. Before applying any make-up, brush across your lips with a toothbrush. It may sound odd, but in fact it increases the blood flow to your lips, making them appear plumper. To create a fuller look, use a lip pencil to outline your lips – this will help define your lips – and then fill them with your favourite lipstick.

Slimmer nose: Have you ever wished you had a slimmer, straighter nose? Instead of heading to see the nearest plastic surgeon, try contouring.

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By mixing a darker foundation with your natural colour you can create a slimmer shape. Apply a matt finish and then highlight other areas of your face like your cheeks or eyes and you will draw attention away from your nose. There are plenty of free guides to help you achieve the sort of look you’re after.

Flatter tummy: So liposuction or a tummy tuck may seem an easy way to shed the excess pounds – but no pain, no gain, so cut out all the treats and head down to the gym instead. But if you want to flaunt a flat tummy instantly, there is a cheat’s way to give you a helping hand – control undies. We’ve all worn them at some point and they are a must to give you a smooth, streamlined shape.

Longer, thicker hair: Your hair only grows around a centimetre a month, so if you’re trying to grow out a style or just want longer locks, it’s all about being patient. Unless, of course, you decide to try a wig or hair extensions. Good quality hair extensions or a well fitting wig can take you from a cropped style to luscious long locks in minutes. If you suffer from thinning hair, it’s certainly worth trying some of the hair growth shampoos, conditioners and leave in treatments which are available. These help stimulate and quicken hair growth.

Losing dark circles under your eyes: Dark circles and bags under your eyes are all part of aging – but it doesn’t mean we have to like or live with them. Getting enough sleep is a must, and cut down on the caffeine and booze. These can cause mild dehydration making the dark circles more obvious. Also try using a concealer a shade lighter than your norm.

Smoother skin: Skin peels are popular among women who want to remove fine lines, prevent aging and achieve clearer skin. But you can get similar results simply by making some dietary changes. Ditch the sugary treats and white carbs and replace them with wholegrain carbs like brown rice.

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How to Shop for Vintage Fashion Like a Pro: Langley Fox Hemingway Shares Tips from Los Angeles

There’s no shortage of well-dressed women in the world, but the ones who continuously catch our eye seem to have mastered the art of mixing vintage and secondhand pieces with current high street and designer labels. Each day this week, we’ll ask one of them to share their tips and tricks—from where to find the best Thai silk fisherman pants to how to avoid looking like a period actor. Today, Langley Fox Hemingway, the Los Angeles–based model and illustrator, talks the California flea market scene, Indiana Jones hats, and non-judgmental shopping.

What are your favorite vintage stores or flea markets?

I like the flea market on Melrose and Fairfax in Hollywood that happens every Sunday. I also enjoy Squaresville and Cherry Pick in Los Feliz, the Painted Bird, and Ragg Mopp in Silverlake, and every once in a while, the Rose Bowl flea market that happens monthly (though that one can be overwhelming, so I really have to be in the mood to search!).

Do you have any strategies when it comes to vintage shopping?

I can’t really go into normal stores to shop. I like that everything is one of a kind and things are a little weird—it makes it more unique. You generally have to try on and know that most items will have some damage or need a little alteration.

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How did you first get into vintage?

I first got into it early in high school. I remember looking at older girls who bought vintage clothes and admiring them for their originality and way of combining things. I also have always been a big fan of old musicians and classic movie stars, which is now of course “vintage.”

What labels or eras are you constantly hunting for?

I don’t really look for brand names, just things I like that are cheap, such as dresses from the sixties and seventies, suede or leather jackets, brimmed hats, old T-shirts, leather boots or oxfords, any sort of original overall, or maybe just something really silly.

Do you collect any vintage items?

I collect a lot of hats—I love hats!

What’s on your current wish list?

I think I could definitely use some more good T-shirts now that summer is rolling around and maybe a little classic briefcase for a purse (my last one broke!).

What advice or tips would you offer to a vintage shopping novice?

Go into a vintage store when you feel good, you’re in the mood to browse and try on, and know that no one will negatively judge what you pick out as long as you don’t judge it. Oh, and don’t be afraid to be silly!

What’s your favorite vintage find?

Currently my favorite vintage item that I own is my vintage Indiana Jones hat that I got for $6. I like to wear it almost every day, and I decorated it with my grandfather’s pilot pins so it’s extra sentimental.

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Dior and I: seven things we've learned about Raf Simons

Dior and I, the documentary chronicling Raf Simons' debut haute couture collection, premiered at New York's Tribeca film festival last night. Shot in Paris shortly after Simons was appointed by the iconic French fashion house, director Frédéric Tcheng was given intimate access to the ateliers and beyond. Here are seven things we learned from the film.

He's not afraid of a fearsome challenge

A haute couture collection usually takes six to eight months to carefully hand-stitch together. Simons – who had never designed couture before – was given just eight weeks. The film shows the rookie retaining remarkable composure, remembering his manners and sending his hard-working seamstresses hand-written thank you notes. We fell a little bit in love with him, to be honest. Especially when he wore white shorts to work ("It's summer").

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He doesn't sketch designs; he prepares 'files'

At the newly modern, forward-thinking House of Dior – where, radically, he goes by "Raf", rather than "Monsieur Raf" – Simons creates chunky files of images and inspirations for his concepts. Each member of staff is handed a file, and everyone then sketches their ideas, creating around 200 for each prospective suit, dress or skirt.

Even Dior jumps to the demands of wealthy customers

Simons needs to see all the frocks-in-progress, but one of his two premieres (the heads of the atelier) is nowhere to be found. "Is she ill?" he asks. No, she's in New York. A regular client has demanded an immediate fitting; spending €350,000 a season on couture means your demands trump Dior's creative director's, it seems.

Fashion goes beyond the boundaries of language

Simons, 46, doesn't speak French – which does seem a little odd for a Belgian, non? But he muddles through valiantly in franglais, with the help of his "right hand", his adorably cheerful long-term assistant, Pieter Mulier, and his frequent invocation of the catch-all "sublime".

His floral displays put Elton John's posies to shame

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Inspired by Jeff Koons' giant flower puppy, Simons filled every high-ceilinged room of a Paris mansion with thick walls of fresh blooms for his first show. His aim, for it "to look like the fucking puppy in Versailles", took 1m flowers and the work of 50 florists to achieve. Even Anna Wintour is seen commenting on an obvious lack of budgetary constraints.

Simons is an innovator, not a disciple of New Look nostalgia.

"The past is not romantic to me," he says at one point. "The future is romantic to me." But his innovation is sometimes frustrated. He wants to try a technique called imprimé chaîne, to re-create the artist Sterling Ruby's modernist prints on fabric. But only four engravers in France know how to do it, and they're all busy, he's told. Less bothersome, however, is simply spray-painting his spin on the coveted, classic white Bar jacket, rather than wasting time making an actual black one at the last minute.

He's not afraid to cry … just to face his public

When the imprimé chaîne finally comes together, Simons gets more than a little misty-eyed; and backstage at the show, he's in urgent need of hanky. He almost fluffs his bow from nerves, and refuses to walk the full length of the runway, threatening to faint. To be fair, we see his point – with an uber-A-list front row of Jennifer Lawrence, Charlize Theron, Marion Cotillard, Harvey Weinstein, Grace Coddington and Marc Jacobs, we'd probably suffer a spot of stagefright too.

Viktor & Rolf Take You to the Candy Shop

At their couture comeback in January, Viktor & Rolf wrapped up the show with a surprise reveal of their spring fragrance launch. Above the catwalk appeared a supersized image of model Edita Vilkeviciute, shot by Inez & Vinoodh, wearing nothing but body paint, holding a bow-shaped bottle of Bonbon. “We liked that her skin was becoming clothing in a way,” said Viktor Horsting. “She’s nude but she’s not. She’s dressed in paint. Her skin becomes like a garment. It was a [conceptual] way of saying that perfume could be worn like a garment.” The body art alone took about twelve hours to apply. The couture collection likewise had blurred the lines between skin and clothes, with tattoo-like embellishments such as ruffles and bows hand-painted over flesh-tone latex dresses.

For their latest fragrance, V&R began with an icon from their own lexicon: the bow. “The thing is, a bow doesn’t smell,” noted Rolf Snoeren. “So we started thinking of candy wrappers and bonbons, because they are like bows. And they smell [good].”

To hit the right note, they began by literally raiding candy stores. Working alongside perfumers Serge Majoullier and Cécile Matton, the design duo brought every kind of candy they could get their hands on into the L’Oréal Paris headquarters. “That was a fun exercise. We tested chocolates, caramels—all kinds of sweets. But we immediately became addicted to a specific caramel note. The buttery note of caramel was very sexy,” said Snoeren. “Sweet but also sexy. Grown-up.”

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Once Viktor & Rolf zeroed in on their “couture” accord, Matton and Majoullier spun the original idea of candy into an olfactory ode to pleasure. “There are so many directions you could go,” observed Horsting. “We wanted something luxurious. The name might suggest girliness, but it had to be grown-up. It’s not a game of seduction. The attitude is more about being at ease, about self-indulgence and empowerment.”

Although the fragrance at first seems nearly edible, it is anything but facile. “It was important to not just create caramel-à-porter,” explained Matton. “We took the gourmandise aspect to the extreme.” Adds Majoullier, “The tricky thing about caramel is that you have to dress it up without concealing it.”

The perfumers went about addressing the challenge by declining to use patchouli, for one thing. Said Matton, “We were inspired by variations in texture. The caramel changes as the perfume evolves: It’s crackly on top, creamier at the heart, and more concentrated at the base. There’s a clothes-like structure—it’s a representation.”

Ultimately, the Bonbon caramel ventured into a more woody, sensual terrain, rounded out by a sprinkling of fruity notes to break up its richness. The fragrance opens with sparkling notes of mandarin and “Paradise peach,” warming into a sunny jasmine and orange blossom heart before settling into a gently overcooked woody amber base with notes of gaic and cedar.

“Bonbon is not for any one woman,” offered Horsting. “[It’s the same with] Flowerbomb, which had such fantastic reach. We don’t want to create limits.”

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Get That '90s-Beauty Vibe, in a Completely Non-Tragic Way

They (whoever the hell "they" are—Illuminati?) say that fashion and beauty trends are cyclical, and everything comes back after about 20 years. That means we're smack-dab in the middle of the '90s again. I've totally been there and done that, in middle and high school, and it was all terrifyingly terrible. With those feelings in mind, I've taken these boomeranged '90s beauty trends and given them a slightly modern tweak so I can avoid flashbacks of the most awkward time in my life. Now I will be able to continue living like a friggin' human being, for the most part, without having to listen to a Jock Jams compilation album on repeat.

Chocolate Rain Nails

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Yes, I used a "Chocolate Rain" reference in 2014. I know not what I do. The bad mofos at Floss Gloss sent me a sample of Blood, Suede & Tears a while back, and I have never gotten around to using it until now. There's a reason for my madness: I have deep-seated issues with chocolate brown nail polish. It was my polish du jour (for every jour) in high school, so I'm almost still burned out on it. Like the Celine Dion Titanic song. They're both still filed under "too soon" in my brain.

But then I actually TRIED this polish, and it's pretty damn boss. I decided to top it off with my OPI Matte Top Coat to give it a more leathery look, and it looks zero percent like my high school nails, but still has a hint of that '90s vibe. IN YOUR FACE, 1998!

Brows to the Max

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OK, so maybe the '80s are the most known decade for big-ass brows, but I refuse to think about sperm-y eyebrows of the mid to late '90s. I can't. I'm talking those lush-to-death Linda Evangelista brows that just won't quit. Those things are bad boys for life. (You know Puffy's going to try to sue me now.)

The biggest, boldest brows are built in two steps. (And in a day. Take that, Rome!) First, create the shape of the brows you want with an eyebrow pencil that's a couple of shades lighter than your hair color. Because this is the part that really shows on your skin and doesn't stick to your hair, you don't want the pencil to be dark and superobvious. After you've penciled up, fill in the stencil you've created with a slightly darker-than-your-hair brow powder. Always follow the direction of the hair growth of your brows to keep them looking natural and non-tattoo-like. Viva la bushy brow!

Kate Moss-esque Zero-Effs Grunge Hair

The queen of '90s-I-don't-even-care-about-anything-I-just-happen-to-be-hot-and-my-boyfriend-is-Johnny-Depp hair is obviously Kate Moss. Kate's like, Wheeee! I just woke up this way! Next to Johnny mf-ing Depp in his sexy prime! I have quirky and adorable teeth! I kind of paved the way for Kirsten Dunst! I never got a thank-you letter for that, but I'll let it go! Frozen! Adele Dazim! Isn't my hair so damn recklessly fabulous?"

Here's the best thing about this '90s-hair resurgence: It's perfect for lazies. It really looks best with air-dried, messy hair, and this takes almost zero effort. And really, second-day hair works even better, if you can stand it. I usually can't do second-day hair sans chapeau (thanks, seven years of French), but I treated my slightly oily hair here with the Jonathan Dry Dirt spray (which I was given a sample of) to sop up a little grease and add some texture and volume. My non-blow-dried hair is as limp as the limpest noodle (insert your own dirty joke, freak-a-leeks), so I've been using Dry Dirt on the daily, and it's the perfect mix of texture with a teensy bit of hold. The cherry on the '90s-hair cake (that's disgusting) is a deep side part, so part it up. OK, where's Johnny Depp? Side note—how often do you think JD washes his hair? Twice a month, tops, I bet.

Gloom n' Doom Lips

Remember, like, seven paragraphs ago when I told you I was almost irreparably damaged in my beauty brain by my own brown-nail history? I pretty much felt the same way about dark lips, man. As you can see in exhibit A above, I really favored dark brown lips in my teenage years. So when the dark-lipped trend recently reared its beautifully monstrous head again, I had to find a way to flip the script to let the darkness back into my life, without feeling like I was participating in a horrible Freaky Friday–like experiment.

I achieved this by pretty much living and dying by this picture of Lily Collins when it comes to dark n' lovely lips. Instead of a brownish-based lip, I favor deep reddish burgundy, like Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Shame. For maximum impact, I keep the rest of my mug relatively on the down-low and let my lips do the talking. It's like my old-school brown-lip game with a new-school twist. As for my choker collection, it's been put out to pasture. Sorry, world, I'm not ready.

Statement Jewellery

Indian jewellery designers are making their presence felt on the auction scene. Here’s taking a look at what’s going under the hammer:

CARAT COUNT

Up for bidding today at an auction by Sotheby’s will be the Spectacular Diamond Necklace by jeweller Nirav Modi. This one-of-a-kind creation, to be auctioned in Hong Kong, has a reserve price of Rs 50 crore. Modi, a well-regarded name on the auction circuit and known for his penchant for high-quality and high-value diamonds, is hoping to break some records. Mounted in platinum, with 17 Type IIa brilliant-cut diamonds, with D-IF colour clarity, “excellent” grading in cut, polish and symmetry and weighing 85.33 carats, this necklace promises to be quite the dazzler. “Rare and exceptional diamonds have always been at the heart of Nirav Modi creations. This jewel is another stellar example of this trait,” says Modi, in the concept note describing the neck piece that involved at least 300 man hours to create.

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JEWELS FOR A CAUSE

When jewellery designer Mira Gulati, founder and principal designer, Mirari, heard of Project Blossoming, she knew she had to be a part of it. The project is a philanthropic partnership by Gemfields, a leading supplier of coloured gemstones, with the NGO Nanhi Kali to support the cause of girl child education. Apart from Mirari, Gemfields has roped in nine leading jewellery designers to create collections that will be auctioned by Christie’s in Mumbai on June 6 to raise funds for Nanhi Kali. The line-up includes Amrapali (Jaipur), Hazoorilal (Delhi), Tibarumals Jewellers (Hyderabad), Talwarsons (Chandigarh), Moksh (Mumbai), Narayan Jewellers (Baroda), Lala Jugal Kishore Jewellers (Lucknow), Anmol Jewellers (Mumbai) and Abaran (Bangalore).

Inspired by the meaning of Nanhi Kali, Gulati, for instance, has created “Cherry Blossom”, a collection of a necklace and earrings. “Cherry blossom flowers, an important part of Japanese art and culture, mark the arrival of new beginnings and represent hope. Our contribution comes with a similar idea for the cause,” says Gulati.

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Plush keeps your handbags in shape

With Plush, luxury bags can now look and feel as beautiful as the day you bought it.

THE days of seeing your designer bags out-of-shape are finally over.

Have you noticed that despite storing it away carefully in its dustbag and stuffing to the brim with paper and tissue, it still emerges resembling a deflated parfait with wrinkles and scuffs?

These were the very thoughts that crossed the mind of entrepreneur and bag-lover Nazreem Musa, the managing director of Plush..

“I could see my mum’s vintage Chanel bags get increasingly scratched and bent out of shape over the years and I just thought it would be great if there was a way to help maintain these luxury bags’ shape and leather and so, the Plush pursepillow and chain wrap was created,” he said.

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Nazreem had already immersed himself in the family business with his mum when he first came to know about foam-wood-polyprophylene-steel.

“Watching this machine, in my mum’s company, create the foam used in mattresses, it dawned upon me that it would be great as a purse pillow.”

Available in five different measurements, the mini, petite, jumbo, maxi and grande, Nazreem said the best way to pick the appropriate plush pillow size is to choose a pillow that is one to two inches smaller than the bag.

As a point of reference, a mini would be for a wallet and would fit an Alexander McQueen clutch nicely. The dimensions of the petite would fit a Chanel medium flap bag while the jumbo would suit the Chanel Maxi and Jumbo bags. The maxi is better suited for the 35cm Hermes Birkin or Celine Phantom bag while the grande is meant for the 40cm Birkin. “

Even two pillows could be used if the bag is bigger or deeper. Otherwise, we are also open to custom orders,” said Nazreem.

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“There will be varying colours and materials in time to come but for now, I am using purple to start. I believe that even the inside of your bags need to be beautiful and well maintained and when spending thousands of dollars on a handbag, it should tally with how it is cared for.”

Adding further value to your precious accessories is the Plush chain wrap. This is a cover which can be wrapped around the chain or metal straps of handbags to prevent it from tangling or from scuffing the leather.

Flying to Delhi to lose the belly

A lifelong quest to lose her dangerous excess weight is leading one Nelson woman to have bariatric surgery in New Delhi. Naomi Arnold reports.

This December, Michelle Allwright will be on Dr Randeep Wadhawan's operating table in New Delhi, having more than half her stomach stapled up, cut off, and pulled out through small holes in her skin.

The Richmond woman has had it with diets, points, plans, good intentions, hope, and failure.

The vertical sleeve gastrectomy she will have in India is her only solution now; and once it's done, there is no going back. She will return home just in time for Christmas.

Allwright's grandmother put her on her first diet in the early 1970s, when she was 12. Named The Microdiet, it consisted of milkshakes and powdered soup. "It was disgusting, and I don't imagine any 12-year-old would find that remotely filling," she says. "It was awful. And it just went downhill from there."

Of English stock originally, Allwright, and countless others of her generation, ate dinner to a backdrop of stories about the Depression and how she must clean her plate at every meal.

"I come from a family of good food, good times, and not in small doses," she says. "I was definitely brought up on too much stodge and dripping. Dripping sandwiches, for God's sake. I mean, they're yummy, with lots of pepper and things - but ..."

As she entered her teens she was wearing clothes bearing the same number as her age: size 16 at age 16, size 18 at 18. Today, she weighs nearly 150 kg and wears a size 26. You're morbidly obese if you have a BMI of over 50; Michelle's is 51. A healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9.

"You get to a point where it's like: A BMI of 51? Hello? There's two of me now, and that's ridiculous," she says. "I'm 41."

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At an event recently, she ran into an acquaintance who had the same procedure in the same hospital with the same surgeon. The woman was unrecognisable; over about 18 months, she had dropped from a size 18-20 to an 8-10.

Allwright would not qualify to have the taxpayer fork out for her operation, and doesn't have the money to have it done privately - up to $35,000.

Organised through medical consultants Forerunners, the total trip is costing her just under $10,000. "One good thing is I won't be eating anything so that should bring the prices down," she jokes.

Her GP at home in Nelson warned her of the general risks of the procedure, but told her to go for it if that was what she wanted.

Medical tourism is big business in India. "You're treated like royalty," Allwright says with a wry laugh. "This is their business. We are the princes and the princesses that are keeping their economy afloat. It's as simple as that."

Her laparoscopic surgeon, Dr Wadhawan, is the director of Fortis Hospital's department of minimal access, bariatric, and gastrointestinal surgery.

He has performed more than 30,000 laparoscopic surgeries in his 21-year career, and patients from other countries include the United States, Canada, the UK and Germany, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana, South Africa, Congo, Iraq, Kuwait, Dubai, Oman, and Australia.

The department performs between 150 and 200 bariatric procedures every year.

Allwright is comforted by being able to Skype him from New Zealand to find out more about what will be happening to her on his operating table.

"God, could you do that in New Zealand? Not a hope. Imagine that! You can actually have a conversation with your surgeon."

Dr Wadhawan said that about 20 per cent of his patients are foreigners, and the number of New Zealanders he's performed the surgery on would be "in the double digits". He says it's a low-risk procedure that sees most patients losing a third to half their excess body weight within a year.

After a pre-op diet of high-protein shakes, Allwright will leave New Zealand on December 13, spending a night in The Stay Inn. The bed and breakfast, which is 10 minutes' drive from the hospital, specialises in pre- and post-op stays for Westerners.

On her first day she'll undergo a slew of testing, and the following day will have the one-hour procedure.

She'll stay in hospital a further three days, ingesting only liquids, and after a leak test she'll be free to travel. She'll follow a post-op eating plan for six weeks, ingesting only soft foods and eventually move back to normal eating.

The only difference will be that her stomach won't be able to hold much more than half a cup of food.

Allwright and her husband Tony Fowler's three teenage kids have been supportive. "They've seen me struggle psychologically and emotionally and they're all in," she says. "I wasn't sure how they'd react, but it was sweet."

She can't walk far, and has developed skin issues and lower back pain. A family holiday in Melbourne for her 40th saw her struggling to keep up.

"I know I was restricting them from having more fun," she says. "That's where I'm at now. I can't imagine where I will be in 10 years."

She's never got to maintenance stage with her weight, and never remembers not being aware of it.

"You go through stages of going ‘I don't care about my weight, f***the world, but the reality of that is you'll probably put on 5-10kg by saying that," she says.

"Then you go ‘Look at the mess you've got yourself in now'. It's exhausting.

"All diets work," she says. "I'm not a complete fool. But can you maintain them? Are they part of your lifestyle? Can you get to the point where you can live normally? It needs to be sustainable, and you just get this yo-yo. It's not sustainable, you do fall off the wagon and it goes on plus a bit. That's the trap."

Her husband says the surgery is an investment in her future - one he's been watching her struggling to change for years.

"As long as she's happy," he says.

The surgery is a "tool" for her, she says. "It's not a magic bullet. You still have to exercise and all the rest, but it's the best tool I can find for me that's a permanent solution."

Allwright is entertaining and self-deprecating, but she admits she's nervous about people's reactions when she reveals her story. Since she has told a few people about her plans, she's had several approach her on the sly to find out more. Because being fat and not being able to do anything about it is quite normal in New Zealand. The obesity rate is rising steadily over the past 15 years, from 19 per cent in 1997 to 28 per cent in 2011-12. Sixty-five per cent of adults and a third of our children are obese or overweight.

Despite there being no cost-effectiveness studies on publicly-funded bariatric surgery in New Zealand, American studies have found the initial cost of surgery was completely recovered in two to five years.

University of Otago professor Andre van Rij, a bariatric surgeon at Dunedin Hospital, says weight-loss surgeries are much more accepted today than they have been in the past.

"The ministry is taking it more seriously, doctors are more aware of it, and are sending their patients for more surgery than they were 10 years ago."

For the morbidly obese, and particularly those who are diabetic, "it's the only option".

He points out that even if morbidly obese patients are placed on a very tight, supervised dietary programme with psychological support, the chance of them losing weight are about 5 to 10 per cent.

"These operations do some remarkable things in the body in stopping people feeling hungry. It's one of the hardest things in dieting."

The operation was low risk in the right setting, though he cautioned that those having the procedure performed privately overseas did not have the follow-up care they would receive in New Zealand, and subsequent issues would fall on taxpayers.

"When something goes wrong or they need extra attention or encouragement, they're sent back to public hospitals."

Wellington bariatric surgeon Richard Stubbs has been performing the procedures longer than anyone in the country, and agrees that surgery is the only way that people with major weight problems are likely to get a solution.

"If somebody's looking for a real answer, they need surgery," he says. "The problem in this country is that the public system is not delivering much in the way of surgery and this is pretty much confined to diabetics or those with a lot of troubles."

Conversely, he believes the best candidates are people who don't have those problems. "They're younger and have more of their life ahead of them and more of their life they can change."

However, he says people who travel overseas for major surgery take a risk of major complications. "People who travel overseas are going to sometimes get caught out, and if they do, they're going to get caught out pretty badly," he says. Major abdominal surgery has the capacity for people to become "seriously unwell", and he says that although the standard of medical care in India can be extremely high, there are also vast differences in the delivery of health care between hospitals. He's also wary of Indian hospitals advertising to first-world patients to make money off them.

"I would discourage it. On the other hand, I understand the desperation people feel."

Although it's a large chunk of change to pay, she feels lucky to have the support and funds to go through with it. Both she and Fowler come from lower socio-economic backgrounds; she was a minimum-wage caregiver for years, a solo mum with three kids. Fowler was an electrician and retrained as a pilot, and Allwright went back to school at 37 to enable her to take up her position with Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology as an applied business tutor.

"It wouldn't have happened 10 years ago. I feel lucky that I'm in the position I am, that we've worked hard for what we've got, and the opportunity has arisen."

Fairfax spoke to a 35-year-old Waikato woman who had the same procedure in the same hospital three years ago.

Arriving in India was a big cultural shock - and so was the hospital, she says. "They have an international patients' department but you're put in a room with six or seven others - there's no privacy. But the medical system, even if it was differently run, was superb.

"I was thinking: ‘Am I getting scammed, is this dodgy?' But the whole procedure was fantastic. The doctor was really good; he has done a lot of surgeries over there, whereas a lot of our doctors here haven't done a lot of them."

She also says she felt supported by the hospital in arranging follow-up care if it was needed, but she did not have any complications.

Since then she's lost 50kg, dropping from 116kg to around 65kg, and has become more confident. She's particularly enjoying being more active.

"It's changed my life in many ways," she says. "If you've never been overweight you don't realise how tiring exercise is on your body.

"People think ‘Can't you go for a walk?' but you get so tired, dragging around an extra 50kg on your body every day."

Her energy levels are "through the roof" and she loves going out. "Before, I was too paranoid or embarrassed. I didn't want to venture far from the house. Now I'm out everywhere."

She can eat anything she wants these days, but less of it - for breakfast on the day she talked to us she had a piece of toast and a poached egg. "Once you go through something like [surgery], you do change your eating habits. A few people have had it and put the weight back on. But because you have an eating problem, you have to use the surgery as a major tool. It's not a miracle solution. It is all about moderation, it really is."

Allwright is looking forward to having a body and brain that no longer treats food as a drug.

"All that counting, the portions, the food, feeling hungry, emotional eating - it's all gone," she says. "What a relief. Imagine that. I don't know what it's like, but that's what I'm looking forward to - not having that as the foremost thing in your head every day, every hour you're awake."

She won an award at work this year, and last Christmas a relative asked her if she ever patted herself on the back and congratulated herself for doing well.

"I said no. Because this is the one thing I can't do. Academically, I'm fine, I've got a degree. But this is my mountain. It's the one thing I can't beat. And it's the one thing I want to beat."

Westfield partners with Dion Lee, Romance Was Born and We Are Handsome

The three Australian designers will receive support from Westfield.

Earlier this month, Vogue's editor-in-chief Edwina McCann launched the Australian Fashion Chamber to foster the domestic fashion industry. And it appears others are also seeing the need to bolster our home-grown talent.

Westfield will provide financial support to Dion Lee, Romance Was Born and We Are Handsome through the sponsorship of their upcoming Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia shows. They will also feature in an installation at Westfield’s Sydney and Bondi Junction centres around fashion week.

From August 2014, designers will be able to set up a bespoke temporary retail space in Westfield Doncaster through the InHabit program.

On the partnership, Dion Lee told us: “I am excited to present our Dion Lee [II] collection at fashion week next month, with the support of Westfield. It has also been a great opportunity to partner with Westfield on the Inhabit, a concept that supports Australian designers and innovates the retail experience.”

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A designer mentorship program is also in works, although further details will be released later in the year.

To launch the program, Dion Lee, Romance Was Born and We Are Handsome each feature in a short film directed by Hugh Stewart.

“We’re so pleased to have this opportunity to connect with our customer on a really creative and innovative way,” said Romance Was Born.

We Are Handsome added: "We’re so excited to partner with Westfield, as it will enable us to reach a broader home-grown audience."

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Divergent's Top 5 Beauty Moments

Divergent isn't known for its wild beauty looks (a la The Hunger Games). But that doesn't mean the futuristic sci-fi thriller doesn't have some gorgeous—and sometimes puzzling—ones. These are my favorite from the film, hitting theaters tonight at midnight.

1. That Perfect Bun

Though Shailene Woodley's character Beatrice (Tris) spends most of the film in some form of a messy ponytail, she's introduced wearing one of the most perfect buns I've ever seen—styled by her mother (above). A little height on the top, big full volume in the twist, and not a single flyaway. Maybe her mom secretly moonlighted as a hairstylist.

2. Idiot-proof Tattoos

The futuristic application process in this film is, in a word, awesome. The tattoo artist simply places a template (below) over the skin, covers it in a glowy blue device, then removes it to reveal perfect ink. It completely eliminates the chance for tattoo artist error—which is probably a good thing, considering there appears to only be one woman in the entire society responsible for tattoos, injections, or anything else requiring a needle. And she's not even an Erudite.

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3. Mirror Lockdown

Like I said: beauty isn't a priority in this film. But it theoretically comes into play in a big way, particularly in the Abnegation (selfless) faction, where mirror time is rationed. Tris's mother has to punch in a secret code to push back the cover on their mirror for a 5-second glimpse. "Rules are rules," she says.

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4. Blonde Ambition

Kate Winslet's blonde (below) in this film is so bright, so non-rooty, that it actually seems to absorb, as well as reflect, light. That means for parts of the film, it has a faded pink cast that looks nearly identical to the wigs at the Marc Jacobs Fall 2014 show.

5. False Lashes Slip

Tris's mother (played by Ashley Judd) is a leader in the Abnegation faction—aka the ones with issues about vanity and mirrors. So, imagine my surprise when she showed up supposedly makeup-less, but pretty clearly wearing false lashes. (They weren't super long but would be obvious to any beauty junkie). How she pulled that off without looking into a mirror for more than 5 seconds, I have no idea.

How Catbird Came to Dominate the Cool-Girl Jewelry World

Near the corner of North 5th Street and Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, there lies a special place that is equal parts heaven and hell, especially on Saturday afternoons. Hell, because it’s so packed you can barely move without bumping into someone, claustrophobia issues be damned. Heaven, because it’s filled top-to-toe with the prettiest, daintiest — but not always girly — pieces of jewelry that pull on those “need it now” heartstrings.

Founded by Rony Vardi in 2004, Catbird, which now employs over 30 people, has become the go-to place for cool girls the world over (the company also has a booming web business) for when they want that perfect special ring, pair of earrings or necklace. The store now even stocks a small beauty section, and odds and ends like cashmere beanies and cute little cards.

The store feels like everything has been curated with care and a seemingly sixth sense of what women find covetable. In addition to its in-house line, Catbird stocks gems from equally interesting designers. There are the brand’s calling cards: those first knuckle, or memory, rings that everyone has been wearing the last couple of years — including Hannah and Jessa on season 3 of “Girls,” along with countless celebrity fans, such as Liv Tyler and Michelle Williams (Justin Timberlake is next on the team’s wish list) — but also newer, original creations. Take the gorgeous “Ballerina” collection, which features the prettiest pair of gold earrings crafted from a single bar with a dainty chain that wraps around the back, or the “You Are My Moon and Stars” stackable pendants that have a single initials engraved into them.

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We sat down with the women behind the company — Vardi, along with Leigh Plessner, buyer and general manager — at Catbird HQ, which takes up three whopping suites in a building a few blocks south from the store (including a wonderland of a studio that produces 700 pieces a day, helmed by production manager Candice Lathrop) to talk the secrets of their success. The in-house Catbird line accounted for 9 percent of sales in 2006, jumping to 19 percent in 2010 and clocking in at close to 50 percent in 2013. Here, some business and brand lessons gleaned from the duo.

Just because something doesn’t take off immediately doesn’t mean it won’t eventually have legs.

Vardi: I was wearing my first knuckle ring around for years, since the late ’90s — it was toe ring that I bought in the East Village. I got some compliments on it — it seemed like such a simple thing. But, as it turns out, making simple bands is not simple at all. It’s a lot more complicated than you think to make something that’s delicate but strong that still looks good in all different sizes…. I remember talking to someone who worked in the store who knew a lot of about jewelry — one of the floor girls, Maggie, who started to make the line. I was like, “I just want some bands — just make some bands.” That really did not take off — we had them for forever.

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Plessner: I think it was a slow burn. I remember the first time I met Rony was at a tradeshow in 2004 — I had a stationery line [before I worked at Catbird] and I was selling to her — and I remember she was wearing the knuckle ring. I was transfixed and had never seen anything like that. So I think it was a slow burn of people coming in and noticing all the girls in the store were wearing them and then it just flipped to people seeking them out. I remember one time, a grandma from Ohio came in a bunch of years ago to get one because she had seen them, and that was sort of the moment for me when I was like, “OK, this is a thing.”

Sometimes not knowing the end goal can get you where you want to be.

Vardi: I was a graphic designer and seamstress before I came here [Vard is from New Jersey], but I went to school for pre-med. I was sort of a lost soul — a happy lost soul, but… And then a tiny shop opened up near my old apartment in Williamsburg on Metropolitan, it was sort of a downtrodden block. I sort of had this idea of having my own ongoing project. I thought a store would be a really great way to do that. I had saved a whopping $16,000 dollars and opened it with that. And someone had given me really good advice a long time ago which was, “If you want to open a store just do it and let it take its own shape.” You don’t necessarily know what it’s going to be, which was really true, because it really did change over time. The first store had a lot of clothing — clothing and jewelry. The second store opened in 2008, and there was an overlap of about a year of when there were two stores. In 2009 I closed the shop on Metropolitan, and then I concentrated way more on the second store, which was only jewelry and lifestyle and gifts and stuff. The thought behind that one was the space was so tiny, I couldn’t possibly imagine what else you could sell in there!

Every small business has to start somewhere.

Vardi: For the first Catbird designs, Leigh or I would come up with an idea — we were really, really limited. We had one person making stuff in her house, so we’d be like, “Can you make that?” and she’d be like, “Well, I can make three of them.”

Plessner: It sort of toggled back and forth — we had Maggie who had worked in the shop and she was pretty much working full-time exclusively for us, producing the alphabet collection and then the classic hammered memory rings, which were our first of that kind. And then we had Claire Kinder who, in addition to working in the store and producing her own line, was also producing pieces for us and managing the little outsourcing we would do to the jewelry.

Vardi: She was sort of our next step in trying to grow the line and to have the jewelry sort of semi in-house. We had the apartment upstairs from the store for a while and we set up a studio and sort of ran the web business from up there — it was really cobbled together. And the production was so few pieces per week. Every idea you had, you’d be like, “Well, I’ll pencil that in for later.” Then we finally got a studio, not the one in this building, and we set up offices for us guys and there was a little bench for Claire and she would work there for us, but it was so noisy. And then I hired Candice and that’s when we started building the studio — moving from space to space until, four spaces later, we’re here.

The best ideas are often vague at first.

Vardi: The concepts for the jewelry generally come from the two of us. They usually start very vaguely.

Plessner: A lot of times, it’s such a vague idea. Like, one time, I can’t remember where Rony was — I think she was on a boat trip or something — and she emailed me and said, “I had a dream about a ring called the “Dark and Stormy,” and so sometimes it starts with a shape or a name or a kernel of an idea. And then we rope Candice in.

Vardi: She’s like our secret weapon. we had all these thing, delicate rings and this was Leigh’s brainstorm — the Threadbare ring, which are probably our best-sellers — I think they started with a name.

Plessner: I wanted them to be even skinnier than the classic hammered. I wanted the threadbare to be just a whisper, like this tiny flash of gold.

Have a unique point of view.

Vardi: We deal pretty much exclusively with solid gold, and the idea of that is, small pieces in solid gold are accessible. You can wear them every day. You don’t have to take them off, you can sleep and shower in them. So you can really have it be this sort of informal luxury, this everyday treat that you buy yourself either to commemorate something or not — maybe it’s just because you’re feeling great. And it’s not a throwaway piece. I have a lot of jewelry at home and I feel like it’s going to be there forever — it’s not some mass brand thing that might be really cute but will either break or change color, and certainly not going to be handed off to my kids. And I think the idea of having something that’s really legitimately heirloom-quality, even a teeny tiny ring, but that you can wear comfortably every single day, is to me personally really appealing.

Plessner: Something about our line that’s important to me is that you can incorporate it with whatever you already own. If you’ve been handed down something that’s really beautiful, you can put a threadbare next to it. Or, if you want to start [your own collection], this is a $44 access point into this world. I have this vision of — in a bunch of years — a little girl opening up her mom’s jewelry box and finding those teeny knuckle rings and putting them on. That to me is really special. It has longevity to it.

Things can be “organic” and still succeed without major marketing dollars.

Plessner: I think a lot of what we’ve done has been a really organic process, like the stacking rings. I remember we did an event with Warby Parker last March, and there was this woman trying stuff on and her boyfriend or husband looked at us and was like, “Who’s the marketing mastermind behind all of this?” And we were like, “What are you talking about?” And he’s like, “Who thought of stacking rings?” And it was such an organic thing — when you work around this stuff and you have access to it, you get a little greedy in a good way, and you just want to keep putting them on, so that’s sort of how the stacking happened.

Collaboration is key.

Plessner: I think the importance of working collaboratively and closely together cannot be underplayed. Over the time that Candice has worked here, she really understands our aesthetic and also understands our language. So there are certain key words that we’ll say to her that she just completely understands what it is that we’re talking about. We also really love to hear input from our jewelers. They’re the ones who are working intimately with these pieces all day, and we’ve gotten amazing feedback and have put stuff into production from their prompting. The “Lovecat” ring is a good example. It had been on our production list for I don’t know how many years, we just couldn’t figure out the right way to make it happen. And so we put it out to our jewelers and they all came back with an amazing array of pieces. And that’s how the “Lovecat” ring was born.

Vardi: There are a lot of brains in here that you can sort of pick — there are 30 people who work at Catbird, so we can really ask all of them. Leigh and I pretty much run everything by Correy [Law, the brand's public relations and social media guru] and just show everyone and see if they have the same emotional reaction that we had. And then you make a bunch and test them and see how people at the store react.

Be your own customer.

Plessner: We test-drive all of own pieces. We all wear them and we have rejected plenty of ideas and plenty of models because they just weren’t going to stand up.

Growth can be a slow process, and that’s OK.

Vardi: When it comes to business advice, I would say two things that go hand-in-hand: Let it have legs. Let it grow organically and naturally and don’t try to create things that there’s no other need for. I always think that a good business path is a nice, easy slope. You don’t want super-crazy, jagged lines — it’s just too hard to manage. And also you’re driven by the natural progression of things. Also, one stipulation about working here is that if you’re not happy and you don’t want to be here, then you really shouldn’t be [here]. It’s a good vibe and people work hard but are interested in growing but at that same pace where you can sort of manage it from all levels — your customers can be happy, your employees can be happy.

Accept (and work within) your limitations.

Vardi: The times that we’ve had bigger mistakes than others are, say, when we’ve forced the studios hand like, “We need this immediately.” And we’re either not ready for the customer response and we make them and they’re not strong enough, or whatever… So now, when Candice says, “That’ll be four weeks,” we’re like, “OK, we’ll just wait.”

Plessner: It’s very hard to be patient, but it’s very important. And I think also, while we’ve used the word “organic” a lot, I think there is control — to not let things just happen, to assess what is happening around you. And I think it’s important to have a dialogue with this thing that you’ve made once it’s not longer yours. We want to make people happy. And I think social media is a really invaluable tool in gaining insight into what it is that really excites people.

Never underestimate the contributions from your customers.

Plessner: We just released our new solid perfumes that work in tandem with our candle line, and that completely grew out of people asking [for them]. Since day one we were getting requests for our Tarot Deck scent, so we finally have that. And I think the “You Are My Moon and Stars” collection is a really great example of customer requests — we had the alphabet rings and earrings, but alphabet necklaces were the one thing that we were being repeatedly asked about. So Rony and I really struggled for a long time because there are so many people who are doing those — and who are doing them so well — we were like, “What is our take on it?” The moon and stars were not an instant answer but when we finally came to it, it was like, “Ahhh, that’s why we’ve been waiting all of this time.” And it was a direct response to customers.

Don’t follow traditional retail models if they’re not in line with your brand.

Vardi: We don’t do sales. We price stuff fairly and a sale is like — talk about marketing genius — we just price things at a totally normal, fair markup. We don’t jack it up. Sales happen when a big store has massive amounts of stuff they want to get rid of. Our stuff isn’t trend-driven. Like, we didn’t overbuy sweaters and then it didn’t snow and now we need to sell them. We make everything ourselves so we don’t overstock ourselves. Though every once in a while we’ll have a tiny promotion for a really short amount of time on some specific stuff. But we just don’t do high-pressure, not in-store — not as a general concept — we just don’t.