And the rest of the best beauty looks from Milan Fashion Week SS24, from black stretchy headbands at Prada to intense crying make-up at Avavav
As soon as the first leaf on the tree starts to turn orange, autumn has begun and that means time to get out your baseball uniform, pull a chair close to your window and, of course, press play on the Paramore playlist, loca, because it’s officially Twilight season.
As an (unconfirmed) Twilight stan, Glenn Martens knows this better than anyone, which might be why he sent his models out on the runway for Diesel’s SS24 show in Milan sparkling like diamonds in the sun. Courtesy once again of make-up artist Inge Grognard, who was on hand last season to make sure the models were shimmering, many of the Diesel cast had their bodies painted in metallic silvers, pale pinks and golds. The effect was to give them, as Edward Cullen would say, the skin of a killer. Or as model Alex Consani put it, “they got me out here like the tin man.”
That wasn’t all though. A few of the models who weren’t turned into Twilight extras were instead covered in what looked to be greyish clay giving them the appearance of living statues. Meanwhile on hair, Gary Gill was back this time giving models extensions to continue the trend of super-length hair that we saw at Ashley Williams in London. These weren’t normal extensions, however, instead they were attached to the ends of the hair in contrasting shades to the models’ natural colour, similar to what we saw Gill do at Molly Goddard this season with the strap-on fringes.
Diesel wasn’t the only brand with beauty looks in Milan this season. Here are our top hair and make-up picks from MFW SS24.
PRADA
The stretchy black headband is making its return, Kristen Bateman told us back in May, as this generation’s “sleuth status symbol” and she was right. Since then we’ve increasingly seen them turn up on the heads of influencers and celebrities, as well as on the runway including at Prada this season.
Under the experienced hands of Guido Palau, the models were given slicked buns held back with dark headbands that looked as if they were made out of tights or the pre-wrap that female footballers sometimes use to keep their hair out of their faces. With messy, wet strands pulled out across their foreheads, the overall effect was that it looked a bit like they had all just come out of the ocean in their swimming caps. In a chic way, of course.
This was very in keeping with the slick, wet vibe of the show this season where pink slime dripped down from the ceiling, pooling in big lube-y piles on the floor beneath and models wore delicate silk organza dresses that floated like jellyfish tendrils moving underwater. On make-up, Lynsey Alexander added to the swimmers’ look with wet, glossy eyes in oranges and neutral tones. The rest of the look was kept minimal and natural with nothing else on the eyes or lips and just a touch of highlighter on the cheekbones.
AVAVAV
Unlike most TikTok trends which come and go like ephemeral smoke in the wind, the crying make-up trend is one that seems to have staying power and has been seen cropping up all over fashion week from Ashley Williams in London to Avavav in Milan.
Stress levels were high at Avavav this season, with the collections and performance highlighting and playing around with the chaotic nature of fashion week and the high-pressure atmosphere of the industry’s seasonal calendar. Models stumbled out in seemingly rushed, half-made ensembles with post-it notes and safety pins holding it all together.
On beauty, models had make-up running down their faces looking as if they had just been absolutely sobbing backstage while wearing a heavy cat-eye. The look came courtesy of Michele Magnani while Wella Professionals sponsored and took care of the hair which was mostly loose and wet – not in a chic, Sofia Richie way but in a I’ve-just-come-out-of-the-shower-and-didn’t-have-time-for-a-blow-dry way, which nicely tied all the themes of the show together.
BLUMARINE
Beauty at Blumarine is always one to look forward to. Last year at the SS23 show, models came out looking like dishevelled mermaids dredged up from the lagoon with XXL hair and glistening complexions. This season, mermaids were swapped for angels, with models wearing huge feathered wings, romantic floor-sweeping gowns and butterfly accessories.
Keeping the whole thing from becoming too saccharine, however, was a sleazy sexiness – gold-leather trousers were low-rise, bare skin was dusted in glitter and the butterfly accessories sometimes took the form of heavily sequined thongs – and the make-up which added a sense of romantic dishevelment. Inge Grognard was back and gave models an orange-gold eye look, taking the shadow down under the eyes to create the don’t-fuck-with-me vibe. Meanwhile, Anthony Turner kept hair long, flowing and parted straight down the middle.
