The sixth-annual event in the heart of Palm Desert began with the Style & Beauty Bash, an unusual program that brought together 14 salons and spas as one team in the big white Fashion Week tent. More than 250 women converged on the tent for facials, hair and makeup styling, massages, and other beauty treatments.
“It was the perfect way to start Fashion Week” the event’s director, Susan Stein, beams. “There was an amazing spirit, and it got everybody excited for the runway shows that lay ahead in the tent.”
The Style & Beauty Bash had a runway showcase of its own: an extreme hairstyling exhibition that included Al Michaels Eterna, Alter Ego Salon, Brien O’Brien Salon, Chakra Aveda Hair Studio, Karl Vasquez Salon & Spa, Loran Loran, Patrick Marchesson, Raphael’s Salon & Spa, and Shear Hair Design.
“The idea was to create hair styling you’d see on the fashion runway,” Stein says. “It was no holds barred — leather, flowers, and feathers. Each salon had 30 minutes to create their look. It was like color war at camp.”
Other participants — each re-creating in the tent the aesthetic of their business — were Ana Cetina Salon & Spa, Bare Escentuals, J. Russell! The Salon, Sherry Mesa The Salon, and Macys Fragrance & Beauty Bar.
Guests enjoyed decadent cupcakes and champagne, as well as informal modeling throughout the event.
Photography by Gerry Maceda.
