From Catwalk to Canvas: The Role of Hair and Make-Up in Bringing Haute Couture to Life
Beauty looks go hand-in-hand with each haute couture creation, so why are they so often overlooked?
Couturiers, seamstresses, models, technicians – there are countless people responsible for putting together a show at Paris Haute Couture Week. Yet while crucial to framing the fashion and inspiring our looks for our next big events, the hair and make-up artists, along with the magical beauty looks they create backstage, are often overlooked, even though the flawless complexions, expertly curated hairstyles and even the detailed nail art are all essential pieces of the puzzle that bring a show to life.
Couture looks going viral on social media
At no time was beauty’s global fascination more evident than just 25 days into 2024 when Pat McGrath broke the internet after creating the looks for creative director John Galliano’s Maison Margiela Artisanal collection during Haute Couture Week S/S24. By far one of the industry’s most sought-after make-up artists, she sent models down the runway with an all-new take on porcelain glass skin that sent social media into disarray just a few hours later, marking the comeback of fantastical catwalk make-up. It was perhaps even more iconic than the crystal and sequin-embellished eyes she created for Dior’s A/W11 couture show, which were offset by star-spangled headwear by Stephen Jones.
The models’ porceline-like skin went viral and, on February 2, Pat went live on social media to unveil how she created the look, which was watched by representatives from countless brands (think Fenty Beauty to Anastasia Beverly Hills), celebrity make-up artists and fans all over the world. She revealed it took 30 artists and 15 airbrush machines misting a “mask” she and her team concocted using formulas already on the market onto the models’ faces. Later one of these models took to TikTok to show how she removed her makeup by peeling off a thin layer of latex from her face.
A history of iconic couture hair and make-up looks
That wasn’t the first time Pat put her hand to an iconic haute couture look. Back in 2013, she gave us a fresh take on the predictable red lip at the Christian Dior show, using crystals to bedazzle the mouths of 46 models. Then there was her creativity on the runway of Valentino’s 2019 floral spring couture collection, where she brought models’ eyes to life with false lash strips delicately adorned with petal-like feathers. For more wearable looks, see her major cobalt-blue lashes at Stella McCartney’s A/W 2012 show and the silver and gold cat-eye at Victor & Rolf S/S 2017.
Sam McKnight and the Chanel croissant
Pat isn’t the only artist to have created a frenzy with her haute couture make-up looks. Who could forget the instantly iconic croissant hair pieces created by Sam McKnight for Chanel Couture SS16? While the inspiration wasn’t the delicious Parisian pastry, but rather a Picasso sculpture with shaped hair in the back which Karl Lagerfeld showed to Sam, the team spent three days making 80 large croissant shapes from wired foam covered in human hair to match the hair colour of each of the 65 models, plus two days at Chanel before the show fitting the pieces on their heads.
Three years later he went viral again thanks to the 52 hand-dyed wigs he created to match each outfit at Fendi’s A/W19 couture outing, ‘echoing the runway backdrop at the Colosseum in Rome at sunset.’ Both very impressive feats, if we do say so ourselves.
Speaking of hair, we’re also still perfecting stylist Odile Gilbert’s elaborate up-do from Giambattista Valli’s SS21 couture collection. The look added mega volume at roots, creating a high half ponytail that met another curled low pony at the nape of the neck, and was inspired by ’60s photographs of Bendetta Barzini and Marisa Berenson.
While the two are intrinsically linked, the key difference between haute couture and beauty is that the former has never been designed to sell to the masses.
Yet while personal ownership of the clothing itself is exclusively reserved for those in the top 1 per cent, these beauty looks are accessible to all. It was this desire to cater to a wider audience that led to Elie Saab launching a limited-edition make-up collection with L’Oréal Paris in 2021, inspired by his couture collections. And while the couturier’s first foray into beauty was definitely more luxury than mass market, its range of lipsticks, creamy lip glosses and a mascara, all dressed up in luxe pastel packaging that echoed the feminine feel of his brand, quickly flew off the shelves.
After all this time, the beauty of, well, beauty, is its ability to both complement and differentiate outfits from one another.
A couture dress can look completely different with a no make-up make-up look, for example, than with a gothic black lip. And while we’re still reminiscing Dior’s couture take on the timeless hair bow, exaggerated lashes and floral hair embellishments at Giambattista Valli and that awe-inspiring glow at Schiaparelli from January 2024, we can’t wait to see what they all come up with next.
For more on A/W 24 Haute Couture Week…
How To Watch Paris Haute Couture Week in The UAE, KSA and GCC
Haute Couture Week, Day Two: Cascading Pearls And Daring Silhouettes
All The Regional Stars Spotted At Haute Couture Week
Lead image courtesy of Jason Lloyd-Evans
