Backstage at Inbar Spector Spring Summer 2012

Photography by Magdalena Golembiewska

Elizabethan punk rock wedding. That was the vibe backstage at Inbar Spector SS12. Photographers milled around, catching action shots; models were carefully bound into the eccentric delicate creations as rails of garments were filled for the quick changes. The excitement surrounding the collection was infectious, and by the time the show was about to start the hype resembled a post punk underground rave; in couture.

I spoke to head of make up Zoe Taylor to discuss the concept for the look. “The brief,” she explained, “was like a broken down Lolita where we had to bridge the gap between really innocent and quite aggressive”. The glitters came in to play to bind the two extremes together; adding an ethereal level and mimicking the colour palette in the garments.

Indira Schauwecker, head of hair styling with her team from Toni & Guy talked me through the look. Hair was backcombed to the roots, multicoloured extensions were inconspicuously inset using a multitude of metallic hair slides, set side by side to keep the birds-nest-esque bouffants in place. “A lot of hairspray and volume mousse” - Schauwecker on the label.m products used during the show.

Text: Madeleine Ayers