Michael Gardine & Way Bandy

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Way Bandy (August 9, 1941 – August 13, 1986) was an American make-up artist. During the 1970s and 1980s, Bandy was one of the most known and highest paid make-up artist in the fashion industry. Francesco Scavullo later called Bandy "one of the great makeup artists of our time." He shared his quarters with Michael Gardine, a writer, antique dealer and chain smoker. They met at a nightclub in 1973. Gardine had no use for Bandy's strict diet; he was a Kentucky Fried Chicken man himself. The two of them were straight out of The Odd Couple. Bandy was Felix.

Born Ronald Duane Wright in Birmingham, Alabama, Bandy was one of three sons born into a middle-class family. While growing up in Birmingham, he eschewed "traditional masculine things—fishing, hunting, baseball" in favor of sewing and piano lessons. Bandy's love of movie magazines and the stars featured in the pages led him to portrait paintings. Bandy said, "I would make them up the way I thought they should look. That's how I learned about cosmetics—it's a direct outgrowth of my painting."

After high school, Bandy attended Birmingham–Southern College where he was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. After two years, he dropped out to work as a department store model. Bandy later enrolled in Tennessee Technological University where he earned a degree in education. Upon graduation, he got a job teaching high school English in Tennessee and then in Maryland. During this period, Bandy got married. In the summer of 1965, he and his wife visited New York City. Bandy later said, "The minute we arrived I knew I would never go back to my former life. This was a new beginning." Bandy quit his teaching job and he and his wife separated.


Way Bandy was an American make-up artist. During the 70s & 80s, Bandy was the most known and highest paid make-up artist in the fashion industry. Francesco Scavullo later called Bandy "one of the great makeup artists of our time." His partner was Michael Gardine, a writer, antique dealer and chain smoker. They met at a nightclub in 1973. Gardine had no use for Bandy's strict diet; he was a Kentucky Fried Chicken man himself. The two of them were straight out of The Odd Couple. Bandy was Felix.




AIDS Quilt






US Vogue September 1974, Knockout!, Photo Richard Avedon Model Lois Chiles Hair Franklyn Welsh Makeup Way Bandy (http://forums.thefashionspot.com/f71/way-bandy-makeup-artist-187529-2.html)


US Vogue March 1974, Go for Charm: The Key Pieces - How You Wear Them, What You Wear Them With, Photo Arthur Elgort Models Lisa Taylor, Shelley Smith, Anne Holbrook, Cheryl Tiegs & Unknown Hair Suga & Rick Gillette Makeup Way Bandy & Rick Gillette


US Vogue July 1975, Everyone's Having Her Hair Cut; Beautiful Example: Nicky Lane,  Photo Francesco Scavullo Model Nicky Lane Hair Harry King Makeup Way Bandy


US Vogue June 1974, At-Home Dressing... Many Moods For Many Evenings, Worn by Cristina Ferrare,  Photo Francesco Scavullo,  Model Cristina Ferrare,  Hair Suga, Makeup Way Bandy


US Cosmopolitan June 1979, Photo Francesco Scavullo,  Stylist Sean Byrnes,  Model Eva Voorhees,  Hair Harry King,  Makeup Way Bandy


US Vogue January 1974, Beauty Now/Beauty In Season,  Photo Irving Penn & Richard Avedon,  Models Karen Graham, Kim Basinger, Rene Russo & Unknown,  Hair Rick Gillette & Ara Gallant,  Makeup Rick Gillette & Way Bandy

















After moving to New York City, Bandy reinvented himself. He changed his name (he never revealed his birth name or real age), underwent a nose job and face lift and capped his teeth. Bandy began working at a modeling school as a makeup teacher. He soon got a job as makeup director at Charles of the Ritz before leaving the company in 1971 to do makeup for the Broadway show No, No, Nanette.

Bandy gained fame when he and friend Maury Hopson transformed Martha Beall Mitchell, wife of John N. Mitchell, during a photo session with Francesco Scavullo. Bandy also authored a book, Designing Your Face, to teach his signature style of heavy, all natural makeup application.

Intensely private about his personal life, Bandy never revealed that he had contracted AIDS fearing the stigma of the disease would cost him work. When his health began to decline, he refused to see a doctor because he did not trust them. He instead opted for natural remedies (Bandy was known for his dedication to naturopathy and vegetarianism).

On August 6, 1986, Bandy was scheduled to do makeup for a photo shoot at Francesco Scavullo's studio. When Bandy arrived at the studio, he was too sick to work. Concerned about Bandy's deteriorating health, his agent called former Vogue editor-in-chief Grace Mirabella for advice. Mirabella contacted her husband, a doctor, who convinced Bandy to check into the hospital. Bandy relented and checked into NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (then named New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center).

Bandy died of AIDS-related pneumonia at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital on August 13, 1986. He was cremated and a memorial service was later held in Manhattan. His ashes, along with the ashes of his lover Michael Gardine (author of Billy Baldwin: An Autobiography) who died in 1985, were later scattered in a pine forest in Key West, Florida by his friend and estate executor Maury Hopson.

Before his death, Bandy requested that his cause of death be identified as AIDS-related in his obituary. He also requested that no survivors be named.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Way_bandy

Further Readings:

Styling your face: An illustrated guide to fifteen cosmetic face designs for women and men by Way Bandy
Hardcover: 158 pages
Publisher: Random House (1981)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0394516699
ISBN-13: 978-0394516691
Amazon: Styling your face: An illustrated guide to fifteen cosmetic face designs for women and men

An illustrated guide to fifteen cosmetic face designs for men and women by Way Bandy, a famous make-up artist.