A Test in Technique from the Academy of Art

The Spring/Summer 2015 collection from the Academy of Art was structured, paneled and reminiscent of contemporary architecture. The palette of the collection was an understated range of gray, cream and black with a surprise contrast of wine. Another contrast was comic printed pants, which stood out against the mostly monochromatic clothing. Most of the models wore white shoes seemed as if they were floating above the white runway.

The hair styling, led by Jon Reyman of Aveda, was a strong androgynous slickback, with the goal of making it look like “they didn’t have any hair”. After the hair was slicked and wrapped around the head, the stylists took a couple of hairs and laid them across the face, for an edgy and modern look. Aveda products were used, including Men’s Firm Hold Gel and Flax Seed and Aloe, to achieve the perfect hair wrap.

The makeup, led by Victor Cembellin of M.A.C., was created around the idea of “monochromatic minimalism”. Cembellin stated that “every person has a sort of tonality around the eye,” which enhanced the “sorrowness to the face, the weepiness to the eye, and creates a moody look.” He instructed all the make-up artists to adopt a “sculptor’s mindset”, for the sake of “sculpted beauty”. A standout product for this purpose was Dusk Cream Color Base, which has a sheen that mimics natural looking skin.

This collection is perfect for those who are looking for a minimalist and subtly-silhouetted look.