Joanna Mastroianni Fall 2013/Winter 2014 Collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion week with Kryolan Professional Make-Up

This season Joanna Mastroianni paired up with Kryolan Professional Make-Up again for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.  For this collection they went with a completely different look from last year.  It was all about natural tones and flawless beauty.  Kelly Thompson, lead make-up artist, created a look with a soft and subtle cat eye shape using sheer metalics.  The skin was kept very soft, dewy and even with the Kryolan ultra foundation.  The lips were lightly defined with pencil #125 and diffused it out with a soft pink lip color LC121, and just a touch of shine for the finishing touch.  On the runway the girls were a vision of fresh faced glistening perfection.

Joanna came backstage and talked one-on-one with all the models.  She always seems to be like the caring mother hen taking care of her flock.  Joanna isn’t just coming back to check on the looks, she is also making sure the girls are well taken care of, and to give them supportive hugs.  Backstage I was also able to catch a glimpse of one of my favorite participants in Fashion Week, Joanna’s little dog Natasha. I was so impressed to see her just hanging out on the table, observing the girls getting ready and waiting for her turn to have a her walk down the runway.  My favorite model from last season was in the show again, Elena Kurnosova.  She is one of the sweetest models you’ll ever meet and she poses like no other.  I couldn’t wait to see what she had in store for us this time around.  Joanna is also a big fan of Elena’s as she had the honor of both opening and closing the show.

The collection was mostly black, but had a few stand out pieces in electric bursts of color.  Like Joanna herself, the collection had a happy quality that put a smile on my face.   She finds ways to make women sexy without being overtly so.  One of my favorite elements of her style is her attention to the necklines in her pieces.  It makes you realize that a woman’s decolletage is one of her best features.  The girls gave some fabulous poses at the end of the runway, but since I was shooting for the make-up sponsor I mostly concentrated on their fierce facial expressions.  The press riser loved Elena most though.  She would always linger just a bit longer at the end of the runway to give us a little something special.  The looks ranged from office appropriate, to party wear, to cocktail, and all the way to fine gowns.  The gown that had everyone talking was the last piece in the show.  Elena rocked a backless gown that had every man on the press riser gasping for air.  She looked absolutely stunning.  When the girls came out for the finale, as she was about to exit you could hear whispers on riser, saying give us one last little look!  And sure enough, Elena gave us a coy little look over her shoulder before disappearing out of site.  A humble Joanna took the runway and blew kisses to the audience.  The whole experience was capped off by getting to see Iris Apfel backstage in a rocking red coat.  She is a major source of inspiration for Joanna, and I can certainly see why.  At 92, Iris is still a trendsetter!