Tom Ford’s “Shaggable” Updos and Lived-In Makeup: The London Meets Los Angeles Effect

“Destroy them a bit more…mess it up some more,” instructed an impeccably turned out Tom Ford as he made last-minute checks on the hair and makeup looks backstage. “Shaggable” was the direction Ford had given lead makeup artist Mary Greenwell and hairstylist Sam McKnight for his Los Angeles show last night, and that meant imperfection. “Tom had a very, very strong idea about the look,” said Greenwell. “I think the effect that [having the show] in Los Angeles has had on the make up is a naturalness that would not have happened in New York or London. It’s less of a look and more the way everyone wants to look.”
Models, including Joan Smalls, Karlie Kloss and Gigi Hadid, who flew in from New York City for the event (and skipped the first day of London Fashion Week), sported flawless matte skin, a smokey brown eye using Tom Ford Cocoa Mirage shadow, Espresso pencil smudged close to the lash, and a Deep Mink lipstick smudged around the eye (Ford’s idea) and down onto the cheek in place of blush. The strong brow was a neutral one. “It’s a really slept-in, gorgeous look,” said Greenwell. “There’s nothing hard about it, there’s nothing severe, there’s no black. Even the lip is very, very muted with concealer on the mouth and just a tiny bit of Lip Color Shine in Bare.”


To achieve a modern take on late sixties–early seventies Hollywood hair, McKnight was busy crafting long braids (some models had a bit of help courtesy of hairpieces) before pinning them up in a loose, off-kilter French twist—a look he described as a nod to Tippi Hedren’s voluminous updo mixed with Ali MacGraw’s free flowing plait. “That was our inspiration but we sexed it up and made the braid fat and a little messy,” he said. “I tried to keep it chic and a ‘do,’ but in an undone way, as if they did it themselves this morning, shoved a few more pins in it and voila,” he said of letting a few flyaway wispy pieces float freely in the air while models walked. With front row guests—including Reese Witherspoon and Amy Adams—headed to the Oscars this weekend, expect to see at least one variation of the look on the red carpet on Sunday night.