The ready-to-wear shows might be designed to inform what we wear in our daily lives, but couture is another ball game altogether. From otherworldly gowns painstakingly laboured over for months, to viral front row moments and social media storms, such as that kickstarted by Daniel Roseberry’s faux-taxidermy at Schiaparelli this season, the couture shows are all about beauty, excess and drama. But what of the hair and make-up looks being created backstage? While they might not always be the first thing to grab your attention on the runway, those flawless complexions, just-so colour matches and expertly-teased hairstyles are crucial pieces of the puzzle that is bringing a show to life.
'No show is solely about one thing, it’s a collaboration. The set design and lighting is as important as the music, the hair, make-up and nails,' says hairstylist Sam McKnight, who has created couture looks ranging from the deceptively simple - think this week’s cool girl ponytails at Alexandre Vauthier SS23 couture - to the instantly iconic, such as the 'croissant' hair pieces he created for Chanel couture SS16. 'It all works in synergy, the creativity bringing the designer’s vision to life.'
Peter Philips, creative and image director for Dior Makeup agrees, pointing to make-up’s ability to transform the impact of a look entirely. 'An outfit can look totally different with a nude make-up look, compared to - for example - a bright red lipstick,' he tells ELLE UK. 'Maria Grazia’s collections always come with a narrative, a storytelling about inspirations and collaborations, so it’s important to listen and not just look at the collection to get the right make-up look that perfectly represents her vision.' This season, that meant metallic smoky eyes, presented alongside Guido Palau’s 'Jazz Age' kiss curls to perfectly complement the Josephine Baker-inspired collection.
But as well as working in synergy with the clothes, couture hair and make-up looks also have the potential to create viral moments of their own. Take McKnight’s Chanel hair croissants (after all, what could be more chic than pastry-inspired hairstyles in Paris?), which generated headlines and how-tos across the globe. Or the 52 hand-dyed wigs he created to match each outfit at Fendi’s AW19 couture outing, 'echoing the runway backdrop at the Colosseum in Rome at sunset.' Then there were the crystal and sequin-embellished eyes Pat McGrath brought to life for Dior’s AW11 couture show, offset by star-spangled headwear by Stephen Jones.
For beauty brands, the attention and immediacy that social media generates presents an opportunity. 'Backstage used to be a closed work space, where only a few got to peek in. Now it’s another great platform to showcase our craft, share our expertise and in my case, share my latest creations and talk about new launches,' Philips says. In 2018, Dior launched its Backstage collection, with products including a versatile foundation in a wide range of shades, a multi-use highlighter palette and a range of brushes. Designed by Philips himself, the products are staples backstage, as well as allowing consumers access to the same tools used on the models.
Make-up artist Pat McGrath has her own make-up line too, frequently debuting new products during the show seasons, whilst the Hair By Sam McKnight collection is a must-have for the hairstylist's team backstage, as well as anyone keen to recreate his looks. 'All my dry stylers were created to be instant, and that’s vital backstage when you don’t have much time. What used to take us 20 minutes of blow-drying in products now takes seconds with a few quick mists of Cool Girl or Easy Up Do,' he says.
But whilst creating a social media moment is always a plus, both Philips and McKnight agree that a beauty look or product is never envisaged with its viral impact in mind. 'The viral thing is something you can’t control,' says Philips. 'For example, for years I’ve been doing under-eye liners for Dior shows. For me, it’s the ideal show make-up when the designer wants an eyeliner, but your casting (often around 90 models) is very diverse. Every imaginable eye shape will be in the make-up chair - hooded, round, almond-shaped, small, big - so an under-eye liner or a broken up eyeliner is aesthetically and practically the perfect solution. And then suddenly a look like that goes viral - not saying that I have anything to do with it, but that’s how things go.'
The process of backstage looks being translated for real life has changed too. 'The way trends work now has evolved,' McKnight tells us. 'With social and online media being so instant, hair and make-up isn’t translated in such an immediate way. People don’t feel the need to replicate it exactly, they take the silhouette or the texture only to make it their own. I love to see how people interpret a look from a show and make it theirs.'
So, whilst everyone might be talking about that show-stopping gown or alarmingly realistic lion’s head now, give it a few weeks and it's the beauty look you'll be seeing everywhere. As the medium through which we can explore couture style more affordably and easily in our own lives, beauty trends can be interpreted however you choose, and all without the multi-thousand pound price tags. In fact, we’d put money on seeing those Dior kiss curls adapted for the red carpet before awards season is out.
