Tom Ford makes disco look damn good.
The designer presented his see now/buy now A/W '16 collection to a star-studded crowd Wednesday night at an intimate dinner in NYC's Seagram Building. Julianne Moore, Rita Ora, Zayn Malik and Karlie Kloss, among other A-listers, watched from candlelit tables, as a diverse set of models—including Gigi Hadid and Amber Valletta—walked in pieces that spoke to the most glamorous aspects of ‘70s style.
With an emphasis on textures, embellishments and outright glam, the hair (created by veteran stylist Sam McKnight) and makeup (led by legend Pat McGrath) were kept simple and natural-looking. Key word: looking.
Of course, it takes some skill and product to look that luminous. Luckily, we gleaned some pretty great tips while among the backstage chaos.
The Power of Pomade: If models' hair weren't styled into architectural shapes with their natural curls, it was put in a sleek, high-sheen bun. Hairstylists mainly used hairspray to get that "sharp, tight, controlled" look, as Sam described it. However, he also introduced us to Cock Grease.
"This is my favorite," he said. "It's a pomade, and it's much more soluble." Shine away!
Who Needs a Highlighter? Luminous skin was the name of the game, but instead of using a highlighter to accent the high points of the face, makeup artists applied illuminating primer from the temple down to the top of the cheekbones, in a C-like motion around the outer edges of the eye, to create a soft-but-radiant glow.
Tom Ford Illuminating Primer, $74
Less Is More: To emphasize the eyes, makeup artists applied mascara at the root of the lashes but stopped halfway through the strands. This provides lift but, again, keeps the look natural.
Dewy Needs Definition: Even if you're going for a natural look, every complexion needs definition—and you can do it with neutral colors as well. To bring a slight contrast to the lips, artists used Tom Ford Lip Contour Duo to first shape the lips with the pencil and then fill in with a slightly darker nude-pink stick—which, by the way, smells like a white chocolate confection.