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September 14, 2005

The Cat's Meow: Cat Swanson and Jane Iredale

Members of the team began to head over to the Cat Swanson show to help assist the Jane Iredale staff set up, we realized another perk of the job; escorting beauty editors backstage amidst the zoo of stylists and products. It may not sound so glamorous, but with an editor on your arm, the door to the backstage barely stays shut. Though a bit chaotic at times, it’s all part of what makes New York fashion week so unique.

As the team escorted editors backstage, a beautiful petite woman in a white t-shirt and a smile that lit up the room more than the spotlights on the runway, gazed at the production, took a deep breath and headed back to work. It was Cat Swanson, cheerful, excited and just loving every moment. Less than 20 minutes after the first six foot model made her initial step onto the runway it was all over. Combined, the Cat Swanson and Jane Iredale team turned out a beautiful show that kept viewers clapping for minutes after Swanson took the traditional bow.

Cat Swanson: Born in Guam and raised in Port Arthur, Texas, Cat Swanson was in pre-medical studies at the University of Texas Austin when the fashion bug bit her.

So after graduation from UT Austin, she enrolled at Central St. Martin and Oxford University in England where she received BS in Fashion Design and BA in English, respectively.

Trained at Arkadius’ atelier in London, Cat Swanson was invited to be one of the 20 international designers that included Betsey Johnson and Julien Macdonald to design an ensemble for the BMG “Elvis Inspired” fashion auction held at Sotheby’s London in 2002.

The next year, in September 2003, the Texas designer debuted at 7th on Sixth, presenting her “Tiger Lily” collection that received raved reviews from the fashion press.

Cat Swanson is sold high-end boutiques nationwide. Her celebrity clientele includes Britney Spears, Lil’ Kim and Liz Phair.

Jane Iredale: is the president and founder of Iredale Mineral Cosmetics. She was the first to supply the aesthetics industry with a full-line of makeup based on minerals and the first to see the potential of offering physicians a makeup that was good for the skin. She has worked with world-renowned plastic surgeons and dermatologists in the development of her line and lectures all over the world on its benefits.

Before she formed her cosmetics company in 1994, Jane Iredale's background had been in film, theatre and television.

She started as a casting director working in television commercials with models like Lauren Hutton, Jacqueline Smith and Cybill Shepherd and then in film and television with actresses like Susan Sarandon, Glenn Close, and Sarah Jessica Parker. Among many others, she worked with Francis Coppola on The Outsiders, Steven Spielberg on The Color Purple, all major television networks as well as the BBC.

She then formed her own production company and produced over fifty programs for PBS and HBO. Two of her feature films were named by TV Guide as the best films of their respective years. One was awarded the coveted George Foster Peabody Award. She also won an Emmy for a film series on which she was the writer.

When she moved from film to theatre she was nominated for a Tony Award for the Broadway musical Wind in the Willows, the show which brought fame to Vicki Lewis and Nathan Lane.

Throughout her career, she has worked with the best makeup artists in the field. She has seen at first hand that true makeup artistry comes not from trying to make a face conform to the latest fashion trends, but from enhancing the wearer's natural beauty and, as a result, allowing her personality to shine.

Her experience in working with women whose careers depended on a clear complexion has allowed her to see how skin disorders and sensitivities not only threaten careers but can also destroy self-confidence. This is what led her to develop a makeup line that could contribute to the lives of women by aiding the health of the skin.

Posted by Ryan Michael at September 14, 2005 06:06 PM

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