Denver Fashion Weekend 2012 presented by Ralph Schomp Mini is, without question, an exciting weekend for fashion connoisseurs around town. On October 11th and 13th, models will showcase stylish clothing, glamorous make-up, and edgy hairstyles. But what occurs behind the scenes is just as beautiful and artistic as what will be seen on the catwalk.
Katelyn Simkins is this year’s Producer and Makeup Artist for Denver Fashion Weekend. Makeup extraordinaire, Katelyn, has an impressive clientele list ranging from the Denver based band, the Flobots, to Hollywood-heartthrob, Taylor Lautner. Twice nominated for an NAHA award for Makeup Artist of the Year (2010, 2011), she was also 303 Magazine’s Makeup Artist of the Year. No stranger to pressure, Katelyn is handling this year’s event with the kind of grace for which she has become known. Like getting in touch with Santa Clause, Katelyn Simkins was kind enough to share some of her time and some of the back stage magic with me.
303: What is a day in the life of the DFW producer and Makeup Artist like?
KS: Completely bananas. Producing two shows (Thursday and Saturday) on top of my already busy makeup artist workload, PLUS a toddler! I am going to need toothpicks to prop my eyelids open by the end of this all!
303: What has been your source of inspiration in preparing for DFW?
KS: For Thursday, this time around, we wanted to try to give everyone a bit more freedom. We are resisting being too theme-oriented. But for Saturday’s hair show we had fun with a time travel theme. All the salons were given specific dates and locations in world history to draw their inspiration from.
303: What can we expect to see?
KS: Madness, but in a good way. Over the top hair and makeup for sure, as well as some clothing trends from across the spectrum. We have everything from street-wear to high-end clothing to hats and handbags.
303: When considering the event as a whole, what kind of atmosphere do you hope to achieve?
KS: First and foremost, these events are meant to be fun. I hope that at the very least people walk away having had a great night out. But surely they will wake up the next morning with a fierce itch to head to the salon, update their wardrobe, and hit their nearest Sephora!
303: With Denver as a growing cultural center, how important of a role do you think DFW plays in that growth and development?
KS: With all the creativity that oozes out of Denver, I think it would be a shame not to showcase it in one form or another. I think it’s incredibly important that we all keep evolving and growing as a city. We don’t need to be New York Fashion Week to take part in sharing a love of fashion and beauty. And inch-by-inch we are improving this amazing city to better reflect the amazing PEOPLE who live in it. Forward I say.
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