The fashion world’s global hub – and home to some of the oldest fashion houses – unveiled an array of awe-inspiring looks from experimental, talented, and innovative designers who purposefully made it challenging to draw parallels between them. Beauty varied from subtle and sophisticated to downright wild and wacky, and the title of ‘makeup artist’ was pushed to its limits across collections with especially artsy looks. Click through the gallery to see what beauty looks were turning heads at Paris Fashion Week.
Photos: Courtesy of Imaxtree
Kinky Kick
Frizz sufferers rejoice, because PFW was all for embracing the unruly side of hair. In line with the seventies spirit that has emerged for FW15, kinks, crimps, and full-on frizz were seen at shows like Alexander Mcqueen, Issey Miyake, and Vivienne Westwood. For Esteban Cortazar, Wella Professional’s Global Creative Director, Eugene Souleiman, created the can’t-be-tamed style with a series of steps that included braiding, ironing, spritzing, brushing, and backcombing. Time to dig out those crimpers…
Winter Frost
Even if we’ll never see real snow in Dubai, we can still evoke its angelic aura thanks to the whites, silvers, and icy blues that graced lids backstage for FW15. At Sacai, Diane Kendal enhanced eyes with a gentle matte white look, while at Kenzo makeup artist Aaron de Mey freely brushed a thick, white, paint-like shadow over lids for a bold take on this usually reserved shade. Makeup artist Pat McGrath even painted lashes white at Alexander McQueen for a truly ethereal feel.
Plentiful Plaits
A girly braid rarely goes out of style, but at PFW plaits were reinvented on the runway in all shapes and sizes. Stylist Julien d’Ys opted for a chic and classic school-girl braid at Lanvin, finished with an elegant bow, while more complex styles were explored at shows like Jean-Paul Lespagnard and Manish Arora. You can now work two major trends back-to-back by plaiting hair one day, and brushing it out for a kinky finish the next. Voilà!
Just Brow-sing
Once again, brows were a focal point this season, with many makeup artists choosing to draw attention to them with heavy coloring, graphic lines, and even faux monobrows. For a more wearable brow trend this FW15, brushed-up is the way to style them. Make like makeup artist Aaron de Mey who team layered-on mascara with statement brows over a fresh, natural base for Nina Ricci.
Artistic License
It seems the arts ‘n’ crafts kit was pulled out backstage this year, as beauty became more experimental and artistically inspired than previous seasons. Frida Kahlo-esque exaggerated brows were drawn on at Vivienne Westwood, entire complexions were covered in gold leaf at Rick Owens, and Picasso-style portraits were drawn onto models at Jacquemus. For Givenchy, Pat McGrath took embellishment a step further and spent six hours sticking jewels and hoops onto models’ faces for a look she called “Chola Victorian”.