Behind the Scenes | NYFW: Color by Aura for Peter Som SS13

Peter Som’s SS13 Show dazzled not just because of the mixture of patterns such as plaid, florals, and chevron, but because of the multi-colored extensions enmeshed in the models’ hair. The subtle washes of pastel shades looked as if they were painted on with watercolors. Indeed, they were painted by Wella color ambassador Aura, who you may remember colored my hair a few weeks back!

The concept for the show was “Women on the Verge”. As Aura puts it, “I wanted the girl to really look like a bad-ass from the Upper East Side who moves to the East Village and gets even wilder”. Drawing from a cross between Brooke Astor and Courtney Love, the downtown/uptown fusion echoed in the entire look from makeup to styling. The hair was purposely disheveled and effortlessly sexy, as if the Peter Som SS13 girl was up partying until 4am the night before, rolled out of bed, slipped on her uniform and headed to her Upper East Side private school.

To create the look, Aura spent several days painting on the muted colors inspired by Impressionist paintings, specifically those by Monet and Cézanne. Aura and her assistant started by laying out all of the extensions as well as bowls of different colored dyes, which they painted right onto the hair. According to Aura, the completed look is “a perfect evolution of the pastel trend,” as in past girls would use only use one pastel shade in their hair, and now it’s morphed into a rainbow of colors and ”what better inspiration than Impressionism? The classics are the masters,” said Aura.

The extensions were then glued into the hair and blow dried for a tousled, effortless effect. “It’s undone, unkempt… She doesn’t care, she’s gorgeous enough,” explained Aura. The hair was then accessorized with thin bright headbands and veils to match.

Click more to watch a behind the scenes video of the Peter Som SS13 Show!