Haute Couture Fashion Week is all about the drama, as theatrical beauty and hair plays out amongst the labyrinthine craftsmanship and creative genius of fashion’s finest.
Here, we have curated the most memorable makeup and hair moments from Paris – beauty maximalism at its very best.
The Curly Beehive
In classic Karl fashion, Chanel’s Haute Couture extravaganza was nothing short of fantastical. The Grand Palais housed a mock Chanel Atelier, with models sauntering between sewing machines and sample cuts of cloth – all with gigantic curled beehives. The exaggerated doll-like hair was a standout, and held neatly together with a simple black, bow headband. Hair was pulled tight in a culmination of corkscrew curls that popped up sky-high from the crown. The mane masterstroke.
Smudgy, Silver Eyes
At Armani Prive, lids were lined with metallic silver and smudged with black kohl. The lived-in, next-day eye has been a recurrent trend of late, and was made even more striking with the stone-like silver. A glorious gradient of greys and black made for come-hither eyes to match sexy, boss-lady dressing.
The Exaggerated Wing
A winged liner imparts a certain classicism, so Dior repurposed that concept and made it exaggerated, in keeping with the theatrical proportions of Haute Couture. Bold, thick and texta-like – chunky lines were drawn all the way around the eye, fluted outwards in line with the brow and artfully flicked downwards, just before the inner corner; part dramatic mod, part Cleopatra and a whole lot of pow.
Helmet Braids
With the braid obsession rife, an artistic take on the trend was manifest in Ralph and Russo. A meticulously tight braid was pulled back in the centre, with slicked hair on either side, whilst a single rope was strategically placed across the top of the forehead, reminiscent of a halo.
Glitter Lips
Half of Atelier Versace’s vixens stormed the runway with deep, plum pouts, whilst the other half sparkled under the bright lights with disco red lips. A deep hue of crimson was mixed with iridescent flecks of glitter – disco queen meets va-va-voom as only Versace knows how.
With her lyrical turn of phrase and penchant for uber-glamour, Chrisanthi Kaliviotis is in her element writing about beauty for The Carousel, while weaving in fun fashion and pop culture references. She also loves a road test, so we send many of the new hair tools that arrive her way (she actually knows how to use them). Have you seen that hair?