8 Photos
The glossy photos in the Southampton Historical Museum’s 2010 calendar—featuring female volunteers in varying states of undress—would not have been half as glamorous if not for the efforts of two stylists from the Kevin Maple Salon.
Hairstylist Gerard Touroul of Westhampton and makeup artist Erin McNeill of Hampton Bays, who both work at the Southampton salon, donated two days of their time to meticulously primp and prepare the women who stripped down to foundation garments, and beyond, for the museum’s 2010 calendar.
And the stylists’ efforts were not limited to hair and makeup; there was moral support as well.
“We helped them relax by sitting there with them, and talking with them,” Ms. McNeill said.
The calendar, which was inspired by the 2003 movie “Calendar Girls,” will be unveiled at a reception at the Mark Humphrey Gallery on Main Street in Southampton on Friday, September 25, from 5 to 7 p.m. The event is free; the calendars cost $14.95 each.
All revenue generated by sales will be channeled into the museum’s capital campaign, which funds the restoration of historic structures in the village.
Tom Edmonds, the director of the Southampton Historical Museum, said that Mr. Touroul and Ms. McNeill made the 15 women who volunteered feel and look beautiful, which in turn made the calendar a success.
“It was a very nervous situation, because these 15 middle-aged women came in and had to take off their clothes,” Mr. Edmonds said. “The models were nervous about how they would look, but these two people enhanced their inner beauty to such an extent that they were all shining.”
He noted that hair and makeup for each model took about 90 minutes, and that Ms. McNeill and Mr. Touroul followed the women onto the set for touch-ups while the photographer, who requested to remain anonymous, snapped away.
Ms. McNeill explained that she did the women’s makeup in high relief so that their faces would look more defined in the photographs, which were done in black and white.
“It was all done in black and white, so the highlights and shadows have to be more intense,” Ms. McNeill said. “We did a red lip to enhance their natural features.”
She added that she glued false eyelashes on many of the models, a cosmetic first for many of the women.
“It was new for people, and it made everyone really excited,” Ms. McNeill said.
Volunteering for the shoot was a first for Ms. McNeill, as well. She said that she typically does the makeup for brides, or women who would like to look extra-pretty for a special event of some sort.
Mr. Touroul, who does a lot of work on high-fashion runways in Manhattan, also boosted the women’s confidence by giving their hair “movement and body.” He said that he styled the women’s tresses so that they would feel “glamorous, sexy, and somewhat romantic.” He added that he wanted to bring out the “full potential of their sex appeal.”
In the end, Mr. Edmonds was thrilled with Mr. Touroul’s and Ms. McNeill’s work, and the different ways the two volunteers helped the models step out of their everyday roles.
“The calendar came out as a very classy product,” Mr. Edmonds said. “It’s a very dignified calendar, and it rises to the occasion.”
on Sep 22, 2009