Erdem’s “Fierce” Beauty Was Inspired By An Opera Legend (And Eyeliner Devotee)

“Models look like they have just come off stage, whipped off their wigs, chucked on an Erdem coat, and left,” Amy Conway, Bobbi Brown’s global pro makeup artist explains of the beauty look at Erdem’s autumn/winter 2024 show. “They’re wearing fierce stage makeup, inspired by opera singer Maria Callas, who was renowned for being a real powerhouse.”

As well as sporting hair nets and neat, slicked-back buns–a combination often found beneath stage wigs–this season’s Erdem woman isn’t afraid to wear eyeliner. Callas herself had excellent liner game and often wore an elongated feline flick both on stage and off, a signature Conway modernized for today’s catwalk. “I created a thin liner [using cult Bobbi Brown product Longwear Gel Liner in Black Ink] and kept it really close to the lash line,” she explains. “It was important to bring out each model’s eye shape, but most of all, to keep the liner sharp… It’s hard to get the shape perfect first time around, so Q-tips are your best friend.”

Another signature of Callas’s memorable beauty look was her luminous complexion; healthy skin is also a runway prerequisite. Models got ready with 111Skin, whose aestheticians delivered mini-facials that combined lymphatic drainage massage and lots of masks to leave tired skin dewy and hydrated. Creating an excellent canvas for ensuing make-up, masks were chosen based on each model’s skin needs; those with congestion tried the Anti Blemish Bio Cellulose Facial Mask, while a little sculpting came courtesy of the brand’s Celestial Black Diamond Lifting and Firming Facial Mask.

Once skin was in peak condition, Conway used Bobbi Brown’s Long-Wear Weightless Foundation “because it lasts, sits nicely on the skin and makes the face look flawless”, she explained, finishing with a little powder and lip serum.

You may not know much about Callas, but an eyeliner queen is an eyeliner queen–and with an Angelina Jolie biopic coming in the near future, now is the moment to start looking back at vintage photos of the star for a wealth of beauty inspiration.