Deco belle

Glamorous: Victoria Lambourn turned heads as she walked through Napier.

ART DECO is in full swing and thanks to some amazing women, I found out just how to achieve the Deco look.

Our gorgeous model was Victoria Lambourn, aka Carmen.

She is in Hawke's Bay playing the lead role in Bizet's Carmen, which opened in the Napier Municipal Theatre on Tuesday night.

When I spoke with the Australian mezzo soprano the day after opening night, she was "still buzzing" from the incredible response from the audience.

"We got a full house standing ovation. That doesn't happen very often," Victoria said.

"This is my first visit to Hawke's Bay. I didn't know anything about Art Deco. It's amazing. There's a palatable buzz in the air. I love it."

Now she was sitting in the window of Jones Boutique being transformed into a Deco belle under the expert hands of hairdressers Sarah Jones and Debbie Pearce, and makeup artist Candice Dear.

Sarah, owner of Jones Hair Boutique, and Debbie said they discussed what they would do with Victoria's hair and decided on something glamorous as Victoria was attending an evening event.

"You have lots of choices when it comes to Deco hair styles," Sarah said. "You can have anything from the classic bob to sculptured, gelled or curls and waves.

"Lots of people come in to get their hair done for Deco events. Some of them have clear ideas, some bring in photos."

However, Sarah says whatever style you choose don't forget the accessories.

"Accessories make it. As soon a you clip on the hairpiece it all comes together," Debbie said.

"You don't need to spend a lot. Even the $2 Shop has things you can use. Napier is full of wonderful shops brimming with Art Deco gear."

They both love Art Deco. In fact, Sarah has a whole wardrobe downstairs. "I come to work in normal clothes and change into Art Deco gear," Debbie said.

Sarah is big on accessories. "If you think you have enough bling on, put some more on."
While we chatted, Candice was busy selecting just the right colours for Victoria's complexion and making her eyes look amazing.

"There are lots of different Deco looks - Gatsby, Flapper. If you are going for an evening look like Victoria's, choose dark, smoky colours for your eyes, strong cheeks - lots of rouge, as they used to call it - and deep berry lips," Candice said.

"Day time is a lot more subtle. Blue, purple or brown eyes depending on your colouring. Play your eyes down a bit but have strong lips. And for both looks, loads of mascara.

Mascara was huge is this era when woman were starting to cut their hair short and show off their legs. So go all out with your lashes."

Candice finished Victoria's makeup and it looked stunning. She hadn't seen herself in the mirror yet. I watched as she did and a smile lit up her face.

The beautiful hairpiece was put in place by Debbie and then Victoria changed into a stunning dress and stepped out with the photographer onto the Napier streets, which were teeming with people.

She looked amazing and our photographer wasn't the only one snapping photos of her.