Military Servicewomen Get the Supermodel Treatment at NYFW

Photo: Getty Images

New York Fashion Week just kicked off, which means an endless stream of runway shows and fashion parties for those who work in the industry. But yesterday I got to attend a runway show at NYC’s Lincoln Center featuring a decidedly different kind of model: military women.

Little Black Dress Wines and Fatigues to Fabulous, a campaign supporting women in the military as they transition back to real life, sponsored a fashion show called “Salute the Runway.” Fourteen servicewomen – retired, active, and reserve – got the full supermodel backstage beauty treatment thanks to Aveda and Bobbi Brown Cosmetics. The artists—and Yahoo’s own Bobbi Brown (disclaimer: she’s our editor in chief)—gave each of the women individualized looks to complement little black dresses donated by designers like Michael Kors and Calvin Klein.

Model Hilary Rhoda stopped by before the show and coached the women on how to walk a runway.  Her advice? “Just be yourselves and have fun!”  Rhoda says. One woman was concerned about tripping on her train, but Rhoda talked her through it, including giving her advice about the all-important turn at the top of the runway.

Photo: Getty Images

I spent a few hours before the show backstage chatting with the women and beauty professionals, and it was eye-opening, heart-warming, and inspirational to be around such truly badass women. “These girls are tough and strong and happy. These are powerful women,” Brown says. “Power is beauty and beauty is power.” She wanted to be able to give the women something that’s seriously lacking when you’re on active duty: beauty, and a sense of their own uniqueness.

Each women offered a compelling story. Letrice Titus, 38, joined the army when she was 33, enlisting right after Obama won his first presidential term. A mental health professional. who is now on reserve, she works at a veterans’ suicide prevention center. Sisters Kelly Smith, 37, and Lacey Szekely, 31, joined up after 9/11; they are both pilots, and their dad and grandfather were pilots before them. Ali Flockerzi, 24, joined the Coast Guard at age 19 to help pay for college. She’s since finished a degree in early childhood education and continues on active duty.

I asked the women how they kept themselves feeling attractive during active service. Unanimously, all of them say they indulge in bright, crazy pedicures, since no one can see your feet and only nude polish is allowed on hands. Another woman resorts to another kind of hidden statement. “I would go to Victoria’s Secret and get the cutest undergarments,” Letrice says. “In formation, among all the men, I could still be cute. They didn’t know, but I knew I was cute!”

Maintaining a beauty routine is tough on active duty. Sisters Lacey and Kelly have both been deployed multiple times, including stints in Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Egypt. As you can imagine, the heat and dust are hell on your hair and skin.  Kelly had her friends back home send her boxes of her favorite hair dye, and Lacey looked forward to shipments of nail polish. Maintaining a skin care routine was the hardest. “The dust is like baby powder and you sweat and it layers. Your skin looks terrible,” Kelly, who was sporting Old Hollywood waves and a bright red lip, says. “I used a scrub, which I know you’re not supposed to use every day, but I did. I also used coconut oil.” Letrice notes that a lot of women had problems with the armed services’ now-infamous ban on certain hairstyles common among African American women. “You either get a buzzcut and look like a boy or get extensions. But if you’re going in the field more than 30 days, how do you maintain that?” she says. “I braid hair, so I would help the younger soldiers put extensions in.”

All of the women looked incredible at the show, and I saw plenty of happy tears backstage. Ali told me it was the first time she’d ever seen herself in a full face of makeup. “I didn’t recognize myself!” she says. “It’s nice to see that I can look this way.”

While the women were undoubtedly more used to combat boots than stilettos, they all heeded Rhoda’s advice. Letrice channeled her inner diva, capping off a slinky walk down the runway with a crisp salute. Kelly pulled an Angelina Jolie, whipping one leg out of her long gown, and Ali could have actually been mistaken for a real model—her walk was that good.

To donate to Fatigues to Fabulous, download the Shout for Good app. Trust me, it’s worth it. And check back soon, we’ll be running a behind-the-scenes video full of the servicewomen’s inspiring stories!