The 7 Best Beauty Lessons We Learned From Fashion Week

Is fashion having fun again? Poring over the directional runways from the Spring 2017 season, a sense of unbridled optimism certainly seemed to permeate all four cities, taking the form of outsize silhouettes and kaleidoscopic clothes. That happy-go-lucky feeling extended to the beauty department, where backstage hair and makeup artists turned more often than not to clean minimalism or retro maximalism—shining skin and air-dried lengths, or elaborate updos and subversive splashes of color—two opposing schools that equally conjure up joy. Here, seven takeaways from New York, London, Milan, and Paris to retool your beauty routine with a sunnier kit.

 

Shears Are the Transformative Tool of the Season
A collective yen for the metamorphic chop began with Alexander Wang’s blonde surfer shags and peaked with the boyish ’20s bobs clipped backstage at Prada. Elsewhere, the trend manifested more subtly—soft lash-grazing fringe at Versace, sideburns at Sacai, and off-kilter trims at Balenciaga—proved that a cut can change everything, any way you slice it.

 

Romance Isn’t Dead—It’s Thriving
Many of the season’s standout moments conjured a whimsical, otherworldly air: Dried daisies and violets pressed onto the cheek and collarbone at Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, scraps of ivory lace and tulle dripping down the hair at Rodarte, and waist-grazing The Garden of Earthly Delights braids at Valentino. Breathtaking, blissful, and simply beautiful.

 

When in Doubt, Get Washed Out
Who knew high-shine gel could be so versatile? Think the fully soaked heads at Hood By Air compared with the delicate hurricane hair at Simone Rocha; the slick sculptural helmets at Givenchy and the damp naiad waves at Loewe. Paired with glistening chromatic makeup at shows like No. 21 and Nina Ricci that bled off the lid, a tube of clear gloss will no doubt be your next essential.

 

Consider the Ear
From a glittering chandelier highlighted by side-swept waves at Marni to the pointed angle of an antiqued barrette along the neck at Bottega Veneta, the ear became a new point of focus for hairstylists across the board. At Proenza Schouler and Giamba, makeup artists went one step further, drawing paint and glitter across the lobes themselves in a charming case of offbeat ornamentation.

 

More Is More Makes a Comeback
Extreme hair and makeup cropped up from New York to Paris: a vivid draping of blush from the forehead to cheekbone at Kenzo and Chanel, the wild ’70s manes and lilac brows at Gucci and frizzed perms at Topshop Unique. Then there was the overarching tribute to the ’80s supermodel pack at Moschino, Balmain, and more, which brought the larger-than-life spirit of Naomi, Christy, and the gang back to the runway.

 

It’s Time to Get Crafty
A youthful energy seemed to flit through shows where hair and makeup took a DIY tack—bits of silk woven through a ballet bun at Ryan Roche, glitter and paint dotted childishly across the face at Giamba and Olympia Le-Tan. Even the myriad takes on the schoolgirl braid played into it, tucked beneath a topknot at Dior and unraveling from the crown at Emilia Wickstead in a decidedly pretty way.

 

Basic and Boring Are Not Synonymous
Perhaps no trend dominated more than a single-minded devotion to cleanliness. Whether that meant loose, air-dried hair at Proenza Schouler and Céline, the deep masculine side parts at Prada and Jil Sander, or the dewdrop skin at Stella McCartney, it served as a reminder that with a solid foundation, you don’t need anything else.

 

 

 

 

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