The top beauty trends to shape the A/W 2016 womenswear season
Dior: Creative director of Dior make-up, Peter Philips brought back the rouge noir lip for A/W 2016 using the house’s Rouge Dior lipstick in ‘Poison’ to create a deep berry pout, topped with a matching vinyl shine gloss. A pale orange shadow was used all over the lid, and multiple coats of mascara volumised both top and bottom lashes to create a clumped effect. Guido Palau then created a chic double chignon (pulling the lengths of the hair into two symmetrical buns) with a deep side parting, to show off delicate ear cuffs. Writer: Alice Shaughnessy; Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Akris: Inspired by a trip to Kenya and Tanzania taken by Akris creative director Albert Kriemler, artists drew graphic lines on the models’ matte faces. Painted in a deep red (echoing the range of reds and oranges used in the collection), these lines were drawn across the eyes and down the nose. There was no other dominant make-up, save for curling lashes and brushed up brows. Hair was worn sleek and straight, with a centre parting, and lengths tucked behind the ears
David Koma: As with so many beauty looks this season, the focus at David Koma was on the eye, re-looking at the possibilities of eyeliner to create new shapes. Nars’ lead make-up artist, Andrew Gallimore, described this look as having a ‘sci-fi feel’ and used a precise black line, focused on the inner corner, and drawn into a point to elongate the eye
DKNY: In a collection that reworked elements of New York street style from the 1990s, an ultra natural look was very much in keeping, with an emphasis on brows – the focal point for otherwise clear, glowing skin. Eugene Souleiman added some interest to the hair, tying sections back with white string, like braids
Dries Van Noten: Mimicking the 1,000 individually painted show invitations and inspired by Marchesa Casati, this was what Peter Philips described as an ‘extreme smokey eye’. Eyes were painted in a rectangular shape in deepest black Kryolan aquacolour on upper and lower lids. This was then smudged and extended at the extremes to soften the look. Up top Sam McKnight parted the hair to the side, slicking it back into low ponytails
Fendi: Inspired by the Burning Man festival and colouring books, Peter Philips was challenged to paint each model’s eyelids with a custom design, using colours picked out according to the look being worn. Upper lids were bright turquoise, green, and orange, while lower lids were smudged with blackened purple eyeliner. The designs extended past the eye in extreme curved wings, filled in with yellow, blue and pink, and decorated with dots. With such a focus on the eyes, the remainder of the look featured unfussy hair (led by Sam McKnight) and matte skin
Gareth Pugh: Leading the pro team, Val Garland created an ostensibly normal make-up look, but as always with Gareth Pugh, there was a subversive twist. Skin was natural and glowing, brows were brushed up and separated with gel to emphasise each hair. Lips were lacquered with a deep red gloss. Then, thin bands of elastic were placed on the models’ faces, just underneath their cheekbones, to create definition and ‘lift’ the top lip. Malcolm Edwards pulled the models hair into two ponytails, which were then twisted and curled into rolls and fixed on the top of the head
Givenchy: The powerful beauty of big cats has been a recurring theme throughout Riccardo Tisci’s tenure at Givenchy, frequently using leopard print in his collections, and featuring black panthers as a house symbol. Therefore, it’s no surprise that Pat McGrath should call on this inspiration in the make-up chair, creating a feline beauty look with focus placed solely on the eyes. This was achieved by using a matte, earthy colour all over the lids, which was pulled outwards in an extreme cat eye shape. Brows were bleached and the rest of the face lacked make-up, apart from a little mascara for definition. The hair, styled by Guido Palau, was worn with a centre parting, sleek and straight with some shine spray
Gucci: Pat McGrath created a very natural look at Gucci, focused on clean, glowing skin – the only visible make-up was a subtle orange coloured eyeshadow. Hair too was very natural, as if it had been styled the night before and slept in – with loose curls and a side parting, and some very loose crimping for extra texture
Joseph: At Joseph, Duffy well and truely brought back the crimper. Hair was crimped all over, bringing intense volume without having to use heavy products, but maintaining a soft texture. Around the face, large sections were pulled back creating exaggerated rolls to maximise volume. The focus of the make-up was a bright, tomato red lipstick, and powder blush to define the cheeks
Marc Jacobs: Using super-strength gel, Guido Palau created tight finger curls to dramatically frame the face, and left the lengths of the hair straight and without product. For the make-up, Francois Nars created six different looks, all focused on the colour black. Eyes were variously graphic, with eyeliner used to draw all around the lashes and an extra line along the crease; or received an intensely dark, smudged smokey eye, paired with a black lacquered lip. For extra emphasis on the eye make-up, brows were bleached
Marni: Tom Pecheux and Paul Hanlon put a Marni spin on a classic beauty look from the golden age of Hollywood. Matte, alabaster skin was paired with a soft wash of coppery brown eyeshadow, and the red lip was swapped for a deep berry. The hair, though heavy with product, was not stiff, and was instead allowed to fall out of place giving a more contemporary and less retro feel
Mary Katrantzou: Although mostly associated with brightly coloured prints and heavy embellishment, Mary Katrantzou has rarely allowed beauty looks at her shows to overshadow the clothes. This season was no exception, with the main point of interest coming from a precisely drawn, carmine coloured, matte lip. Lashes were curled and black mascara applied, and brows were neatly combed into place. The hair, styled by Duffy, was worn either natural, or with the front sections gelled down and tucked behind the ears
No. 21: Keeping this season’s focus on eyeliner, Tom Pecheux embraced a more rock ’n’ rolll look for No. 21. Eyes were lined all the way round with black eyeliner before it was smudged and plenty of mascara was applied to top and bottom lashes. The eyeliner was extended, in either navy or sky blue, in the inner corner and a matching glitter was applied to the upper lash line. Black eyeliner was applied in a precise line in the crease. Texturising paste was used to rough up the hair for a messy, lived-in look as well
Opening Ceremony: Jimmy Paul and Yadim partnered to create a beauty look for the girl ready to step into the futuristic vision of Syd Mead – the illustrator whose aesthetic shaped Blade Runner and Tron, and whose work inspired the Opening Ceremony team this season. Hair was gelled and loose finger waves created to frame the face. Skin was fresh, dewy and for some models, extra sparkly, thanks to smudges of silver glitter under the eyebrow, along the nose or jawline, and topped off with orange lensed glasses
Paul Smith: Another simple autumn look, save for a smoky grey shadow lightly smudged under the eyes, and the subtlest touch of mascara. A baby pink lipstick was dabbed on to add a hint of sheer, matte colour to the face. Hair was fresh and unfussy, with each model wearing their natural style and texture throwing emphasis back onto the stellar clothes
Prada: Pat McGrath started with a classic beauty look for A/W, centred around a bold, matte, red lip. Hair was combed into a side parting and then heavily lacquered until it was almost clumpy with product and the lengths were twisted into messy waves; while around the hairline, tendrils of hair were pulled forward and gelled to frame the face
Proenza Schouler: This season’s best example of no-make-up make-up. Diane Kendal used a light foundation and powder to perfect and matte the skin. Lashes were then curled to lift the eye, brows filled in to bring contrast and definition to the face, as balm was appplied to the lips for a subtle shine. Hair was gelled, combed into side partings, and pulled into ponytails, which were secured at the nape of the neck
Alexander Wang: Diane Kendal tailored a look to each model, but the main muse for the show was a girl who had been up all night partying. Eyes were shaded with brown shadow, mimicking shadows from late nights. Skin was dewy, from dancing into the early hours. Lips were left bare, as if any colour had faded away
Yohji Yamamoto: Starting with a natural base and neat eyebrows, Pat McGrath then drew a freehand cartoon pout on each model. Using lipstick, she created an exaggerated shape over the models’ mouths, and filled it in black, adding a strip of white to accentuate the shape. On the lower lips, she then drew a line extending to the jaw – and echoed this over one eyebrow, which curved up and around onto the cheeks. Eugene Souleiman then added long, straight, black extensions to frame the face and add a dramatic, gothic feel