Olivia backstage at Jasper Conran
I have a schoolgirl crush on Peter Grey. He is the brilliant hair dresser who, amongst many others, did the hair for Jasper Conran’s and Vivienne Westwood’s amazing shows. He is hotness personified, cute and utterly charming.
This season’s look was a funky take on tennis. We were all given a Croydon face lift with a tight chignon, then two bobbed wigs were pinned to the high knot. It was painful, really painful. All it takes is one pin to give you an aching headache. I had two.
The hairbrushes used were by Ho Soi, a cult product in Japan and on every hairdressers wish list. They have alternating rows of boars bristles and surgical nylon bristles which won’t break with intense heat.
Val Garland (pictured right with me) created a classic black lined eye which kicked out like a wing, then smudged a little kohl on the bottom. Not hugely exciting but pretty. I tried out Lancôme’s new vibrating mascara, a fave of Val’s team, which is such fun to use. The vibrations are gentle, it’s the same zigzag movement as one does when wedging the mascara right into the roots. The foundation was by Yves Saint Laurent, and lips were painted a matt, pinky red.
While having my hair scraped back with L’Oreal’s Tecni-Art holding spray, I received a call from the lovely James Brown, Kate Moss’s mate and hair dresser. He very sweetly invited me to Julian Macdonald’s show to get an exclusive interview with him, more to follow on that later…
One difference I have noticed in the 10 or so years of doing fashion shows, is that the models aren’t half as fun as they used to be. Backstage was always a riot. Shrieks, smoke, music, champagne, the girls all had massive personalities, it was a real party atmosphere. Nowadays it feels more serious and less spontaneous. Booo!
Jaspers’ show was a huge success, everybody loved the playful corseted dresses, the sexy knit backless jumpers, the sequined blousson dresses and BONDAGE trousers.
Tags: james brown, Jasper Conran, Val Garland