Tarnished Frocks and Divas + Lillybeth

In 2011 the show was based on a 9 course (I think it was) French degustation meal at cafe ‘Alouette’.  Each model ‘walk’ was one ‘course’ and showcased the style of a particular French designer, ie, Dior in florals may have been an entree, Chanel in black and white may have been a main!

Compared to the Baycourt show, the audience was much closer to the models, as they walked around the table and chair seating in the warehouse of Mills Reef Winery and Restaurant.  As well as co-leading with makeup director Tina Neville in the damp, poorly-lit conditions of the underground wine barrel room (no natural light!), I oversaw the face painting for the French mimes.

In 2015 the show was A Tangled Thread.  The costumes were incredible, dancers were on-point (wonderful volunteer choreographers who teach dance as a business) and music was dramatic.  Somehow thanks to Adoux (now ‘Ado’) hairdressing sponsors the wigs were even more diverse and perhaps taller if possible than the previous show.  Some models had to ‘limbo’ to safely get through the door frame for makeup.

Once again I created and led a team of makeup artists – one of three teams just for makeup – and worked in the same room as students from the School of Makeup Art Technology, where I trained in 2008.  We mainly used products from sponsor Bella Vi mineral makeup and my team varied between 11 volunteers and just 6, to do the same amount of work.

A mini scandal in the dressing room, and thoughts on modelling:

I remember clearly the drama when one of the models refused to wear an element of the designated makeup look…For one scene the costumes were spanish-esque with bright flowers on the head, inspired by artist Fridah Karlo.  Of course the makeup included her famous ‘mono-brow’ and for this to be seen from stage or on the big screen, like every element, we had to over-dramatise it…which meant using a dark eyeliner or brow pencil to draw on hairs between the models’ natural brows so they met in the middle.

One model did not want to wear the brows because her son was in the audience and she didn’t want him to see her ‘ugly’.  She ran out of the dressing room to get away!  But because it was ‘part of the look’ and every one else was wearing it, I felt it really should be applied.  Reassured by the rest of the makeup team thinking the same way, I followed her to backstage, right up to the place she was waiting to walk on.  She avoided me, duck-diving to get away and if I’d reached out to apply the makeup I think she would have whacked me!

In the fashion world, models don’t get to choose what they are given to wear.  Their purpose is to model and represent the choices of the designers and artists, not their own preferences.

Unlike the common misconception, It’s not easy being a model!  But in return for the glamour and applause on stage, models need to understand their purpose and make the personal concessions required of them for the good of the show.  We all have to. 🙂

Here’s some of the makeup inspiration for TFAD 2015:

This year I’m leading a makeup team, once again, for Tarnished Frocks and Divas’ 2017 show,‘Zoetica’.  I don’t know the story or makeup looks yet but I couldn’t post them here anyway – everything pre-show is top secret!

If you want backstage photos of our team as the show unfolds (not the cast sorry, so as not to ruin any secrets!), follow our facebook page and subscribe to my monthly Lillybeth letter – link to the right.