Runway photos courtesy of ImaxTree.com.

The security to get backstage at Vivienne Westwood’s Paris show was rather intense. But that’s what happens when a fabulous fashion spectacle is staged at the British Ambassador’s Residence on Embassy Row. Once I made it through the gauntlet of buff, tall MI5-looking men, I entered the fashion tent in the spacious backyard where Westwood’s inventive, quirky world was taking shape.

Makeup is never a simple, scaled-back affair with this British designer. “It’s about playtime,” makeup artist Val Garland explained to me, while she was painting the outline of a heart onto a model’s face. “It’s a little bit Marie Antoinette. Basically, it’s about putting all the makeup ideas into a bag, juggling them all up and seeing what comes out. It’s about playtime. Theatre!”

Click through to see backstage beauty pics & read more about the show…

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Backstage with Roland Mouret and makeup artist Val Garland.

After three—yes, three—hours of “blissful” sleep, I made my way to the Westin Paris hotel, in front of the Tuileries, for my backstage interviews at Roland Mouret. I thought I was just there to chat with tanning wizard Nichola Joss, but the PR gods were smiling and I soon found myself speaking with the entire creative team: Orlando Pita on hair, Val Garland on makeup—and, to my pleasant surprise, the designer himself. Here were the four steps leading up to showtime.

Step 1: Before Pita and Garland worked their magic, Joss was on her knees polishing the models into “honey glow” perfection using One Night Only St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mousse. “It’s not about being too dark or having a deep one-dimensional tan; it’s about the overall finish and glow,” explained Joss, the brand’s global skin-care ambassador. “I want them to be radiant.” As for her own golden hue, Joss said it’s a mix of product and time spent this summer in Mauritius, a French island off the southeast coast of Africa. “I’m not an advocate of lying in the sun,” she added. “You need to protect your skin. I use product as well because I love a tanned look. I’m Scottish, so I come from a land where there isn’t much sun. Brooke Shields in Blue Lagoon has always been my reference point.”

Step 2: Makeup artist Val Garland told me her task was to create “a royal rebel—a street girl who’s really cool.” The secret, she assured me, was the “scribbly eye” done with NARS Black Moon Eyeliner Pencil, Carpates Eyeliner Stylo and Zardoz Single Eyeshadow. “There’s no mascara—that’s what gives it a modern edge. The focus is on the black stain,” she explained. The lips were kept simple (Bianca Pure Sheer SPF Lip Treatment) and the skin bare except for Optimal Brightening Concentrate. But the secret weapon, according to Garland, was a product that won’t be on the market until early 2013: the Light Reflecting Setting Powder. “It feels like silk,” she explained. “You get that honed-to-the-bone finish.”

Click through for steps 3 and 4 and Noreen’s PFW by numbers…

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Photography by Nicole Comeau from www.theionfashion.com

The Girl: Sara Strand, blogger, www.sarastrand.no

The Location: Grand Palais Avenue Winston-Churchill.

The Look: Sporty chic in a baseball-inspired look.

Click through for more street style snaps from Paris Fashion Week!

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Paris Fashion Week Day 2

It’s 2 a.m. in Paris and I’m just back from the H&M bash to celebrate the launch of its collaboration with Anna Dello Russo. The evening’s performance at the famed Paradis Latin cabaret nightclub opened with a gaggle of Anna look-alikes doing a dance number with the turquoise luggage set that she designed for the collection. The campiest moment? When Anna (or AdR) descended from the ceiling on a swing and the crowd went mad (Look out, Gaga! You’ve got competition.)

Paris Fashion moment. Check.

Bonus: In addition to a performance by Azealia Banks, rapper Zebra Katz and had complete strangers calling one another “Be-yoch.” (See Paris Fashion Week numbers below.)

Best party favour: Anna masks. (Denis Desro and I masked up for the event.)

Bold names I didn’t see but were apparently there among the masses: Olivier Theyskens, Rachel Zoe, Jefferson Hack, Poppy Delevingne, Peter Dundas and super models Karlie Kloss, Constance Jablonski, Liya Kebede and Isabeli Fontana.

Mark your calendars: The jewellery, shoes and accessories that Anna Dello Russo designed for H&M, which will be available in stores from October 4, 2012, in 140 stores worldwide.

But earlier on in the day ….

Click through to read more of Noreen’s Paris Fashion Week diary…

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Hello, Pink! Our November 2012 cover star rocks the California coast in a Gucci suit and a hat by Heather Huey. In the interview, she talks to ELLE Canada about her new album, The Truth About Love (“It’s the opposite way that most people talk about love. It’s the psycho version!”) and her baby, Willow Sage (“When you have a child, you realize that you’ve been pretending—you’ve been acting in a play. Everything was tainted or compromised before.”)

Plus, the new Cover Girl chats about fame, fashion and her first acting gig, in Thanks for Sharing with Mark Ruffalo and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Read the article—and see all the pics!—in our November issue, on newsstands October 8.

Who wants to be cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs when you can be loopy for LV waffles? Created by California artist Andrew Lewicki, this waffle-maker offers a worthy comment on branding in our throwaway consumerist culture. Definitely. It’s also so fun. Meet you by the maple syrup.

Louis Vuitton waffle-maker, Andrew Lewicki, one-off art piece.

Photography by Barbora Simek

Maja Mackenna, snapped in Toronto

Occupation: High school student

Style: Cute vintage

Wearing: Pink Doc Martens, American Apparel dress and vintage Levi’s jacket and bag

Colour love: “I love dressing in bright colours, people seem happier when they are wearing bright colours.”

Click through to see our Montreal street style pic of the day!

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Photo by Daniel Williams.

7:01 PM When it comes to late-night fêtes hosted by one of our fave Canuck designers, there will be wine. Start the night out with a wine-tasting by Stoneleigh Wines at Joe Fresh at Queen and Portland streets (589 Queen St. West) then wander outside for Concrete Canvases, a digital street art installation featuring local and international artists such as Sherpard Fairey, Mr. Brainwash and Max Zorn. Shoppers can take advantage of door crasher deals on outerwear, footwear and leather bags. Joe Fresh; 7 to 10 PM.

8:55 PM Have the competitive (and stylish) edge over the rest of your night out by heading to the 2012 Art of Fashion: RAW Design Competition at the Shops at Hazelton (87 Avenue Road, Oval Square, Lower Level). Fêting its 16th anniversary, the fashion and design competition will showcase 10 emerging designers while an expert judging panel (think designer Marie Saint Pierre) will select the winner of AOF’s Most Promising Designer 2012. Bonus events include a fashion show featuring the designs of the finalists, boutique vendors and a vodka bar. 7 PM to 1 AM.

Read on for your all-night Nuit Blanche must-see guide!

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Photography by Nicole Comeau from www.theionfashion.com

The Girl: Eva Fontanelli, editor, ELLE Italia.

The Location: Via Varesina, before the Missoni show.

The Look: Uptown market chic in Au Jour le Jour dress, Band of Outsiders jacket, Cesare Paciotti slipper shoes, Corto Molte bag.

Click through for more street style snaps from Milan Fashion Week!

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Photography by Barbora Simek

Rachel Dick, snapped in Toronto

Occupation: Yoga teacher

Style: Rocking yoga wear

Wearing: Obey denim vest, vintage boots, Lululemon leggings, Zara sweater and clutch

Fashion obsession: “I am a big fan of black on black on black, I just make sure to match different materials to keep it fresh.”

Fall must have: “I love menswear, and guys have the best stuff for fall. I love wearing big boyfriend sweaters or boyfriend jeans cuffed up, oxford shoes and a great blazer.”

Click through to see our Montreal street style pic of the day!

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