Holy Fashion Week Batman!

NY Fashion Week is in full swing. With Fashion Night Out The Show under Lincoln Center's belt and today's line up, it's official.

I absolutely adore NYFW. It's what I like to think of as controlled chaos. A veritable who's who of the fashion and beauty worlds descend upon the city and run around (in heels no less) attending shows or making them happen. There was some uncertainty over the new digs (Lincoln Center) after so many seasons past at The Tents at Bryant Park. However, it seems like fashion week is settling in quite nicely.

I truly enjoy checking out the new collections but what I really look forward to is the makeup and hair. This part of the runway is much easier for us working gals to attain. And so far, with only one official day of shows down, the Spring 11 season does not disappoint.

Let's talk about how blown away I was by Vena Cava's hair and makeup. Instant love! It seems like summery orange lips will be sticking around a bit longer. This time around they are going a more matte than glossy and it works just perfectly with the navy smoky eye. And the hair....while it was pulled back, hair genius Ted Gibson incorporated a turban into some of the looks. So boho chic.

Richard Chai's collection went in a different direction. The models' eyes were rimmed in heavy black liner around the entire eye. Their skin tone was evened out, but they looked fresh-faced and dewy. The no-makeup makeup look in perfect form. The entire look was rounded out with a nude lip, not too pale, just a muted shade of the natural coloring. This was simply perfect. The hair, on the other hand, I am not a fan of. I don't know, I guess I just don't enjoy the I-just-accidentally-used-too-much-product-look. It looks like a failed attempt at slicking back the hair, looking halfway finished instead of polished. The end result looked a bit unwashed, and not in a good second-day-hair kind of way.

Rachel Comey's pieces are always laid-back and sweetly pretty. The hair and makeup for the show did not fall far from the proverbial tree. The models' makeup was sweet and pretty all while having that I-didn't-try-at-all look. And the hair was pulled back in an unfinished way. Something you could definitely do while running out the door, with a few wisps of hair making their way out, this look can be dressed up or down.

And finally, the fishtail braid that graced the runway of the Nicholas K. show was fantastic. Man, how I wish I could master this style. I have plateaued at regular braiding and seem to lack the necessary skills to fishtail. Hopefully I'll hit a breakthrough sometime soon so I can rock this. Perhaps this is wishful thinking on my part, though. So for now, I'm content to drool over this image.

(all images via Style.com)