Backstage Beauty Report @ Presley Oldham SS25
— Soft Services newsletter
Key artist Alex Levy breaks down the look.
A closer look at Presley Oldham’s SS 2025 beauty portrait. In conversation with Alex Levy, MUA. A closer look at Presley Oldham’s SS 2025 beauty portrait. In conversation with Alex Levy, MUA. On Wednesday afternoon, in a room walled by cityscape and blue sky high above the Meatpacking District, the jewelry designer Presley Oldham unveiled his collection for the upcoming spring summer 2025 season.
A cast of Oldham’s friends, including actors like Cole Escola and It Girls like Roseline Lawrence, were trimmed in chains and pearls and stones, set alight by the late summer sun. Oldham’s pieces are of this world but seemingly of another, as if they were past artifacts sourced from the ocean’s floor. His perspective has earned him legions of fans, actors and it Girls alike, as well as a place in the CFDA’s 2024 Fashion Fund. But we’re not talking about jewelry.
We’re talking about the bodies that wear them—bodies that were exfoliated, moisturized, painted, and highlighted by a team led by Alex Levy , the key makeup artist and skincare aficionado. We snuck up on him while he was painting Roseline’s face to ask him about the show, his prep, his bodies, and his NYFW. Soft Services: Tell us a little bit about the beauty concept behind the show.
Alex Levy: Presley and I sat down and talked about what the show meant, and I got a little peek at some of the sketches of the clothes and the jewels. I was inspired by his pearls—that’s what he’s really known for, his pearl jewelry. I was drafting up ideas of how to convey pearl in little touches on the face. It’s less about setting one look, and more of setting a vibe that we can then tailor to each model. Presley didn’t want it to feel so makeup.
He and I both liked the idea of makeup that when you move, it kind of transforms. ” The key looks are variations on an eye, with a few distinct colors layered. We’re basically giving them eye pearls. When you’re looking at pearls, they have kind of ruddy colors, purples and greens, very earthy tones that aren’t so vivid or crystal clear. There’s a dirty shine that I wanted to tap into.
The light in the space is really good today—there’s plenty of direct light, but it’ll also move around throughout the day. It lends itself to this type of makeup, where depending on how you see it, it reads differently. SS: You and Presley ironed out the concept before the show, but has anything changed day-of? AL: There’s still time. Until they’re out there, it may change, once we do the runthrough, and we see them in the space, see what it looks like.
But I think that the idea is set, so I feel good about that. I think things are bound to change, and that’s the fun part of doing shows. SS: Let’s talk about the bodycare aspect. How did you prep hands, necks, and ankles to showcase a jewelry collection? AL: I wanted to feel like they’ve just stepped off the beach. They’re super moisturized, they may have a little sweat on them, they’ve had a day in the sun.
Some artists want the body to be perfect, like, bruises all covered, skin all matte. But for this show, I think embracing the scars or discoloration, having skin be real is kind of beautiful. Throughout my years of doing makeup, I found that it’s really about the actual application of these lotions and creams—working products into the skin for the models really makes a huge difference in the vitality of the actual skin.
And then adding touches that will kind of reflect the light and add a fantasy element that goes beyond I-put-lotion-on-and-walked-out. It’s one level above. “Some artists want the body to be perfect, like, bruises all covered, skin all matte. ” Alex’s work for DNA Magazine , 2023 SS: What’s your fashion month season like this year? AL: It’s a healthy amount of busy. [Laughs] I always say Fashion Week feels like summer camp to me.
So I feel like this season is reconnecting with people who I haven’t seen or collaborated with in a while. It's all, like, catching up with friends and creating new things that we’ll be excited about. Alex Levy’s Backstage Kit Unzipped “For this show, one essential is the Speed Soak —as a deep hydration layer, and then topping up with little accents of shine. A gel texture like this is nice because it dries down and doesn’t disrupt or get on clothing.
” “Every fashion show I’ve ever done, I’ve needed a dry concealer that I can sheer out, or really pinpoint specific spots on the face. ” “I always need a range of powders to blot or mattify the skin. Especially when models are in the lineup, right before they go out, it’s a nice way to make sure they go into the space highlighted in all the right ways. ” “I love a beauty sponge . I’ll always apply makeup with brushes and then take makeup away with sponges.
But I think, especially for Fashion Week, because people are often close up, you want skin to look like skin, and I think the only way to really get that is with your fingers. ”
Tags: Community, Discoloration, Dry Skin, Speed Soak, Carea Cream