From butterfly clips to feather eyelashes and on-stage appearances from animals, London Fashion Week produced sentiments of nostalgia as well as future-forward beauty this season. Here’s the latest worth the watch, selected by BeautyMatter.
Conner Ives:
Conner Ives kept things colorful during London Fashion Week, with each model's makeup matching the flamboyant shades of the garments they were adorned with. From the very beginning through to the end, faces were heavily baked, with under-eyes a powdery pastel yellow, resembling a half-finished banana powder look. A standout look came from the third model to walk the runway, her natural ringlet curls free flowing, with baby hairs fastened to her head with medium-sized pastel pink, blue, and green paper-looking butterflies. Complementing the coloring of the butterflies, diamond, square, and rectangle gems were adhered to the face, reflecting the runway lights. The butterfly theme continued, with an abundance of ’90s-style childlike hair clips separating small, naturally styled buns, a clip for every color of the rainbow. One model wore cherry earrings, with her nose, cheekbones, and lips a matching glossy red.
Head scarves were a popular styling option, and for those without, hair was styled to naturally fall in any direction, one model sporting a high-placed ’70s-esque beehive, curled out at the ends. ’90s styles made an appearance again, with a handful of models showcasing short-cropped cuts with streaks of red, purple, and auburn stripes pulled through the bangs. A notable lip look across the collection was another ’90s homage, with lips lined brown, soft red in the middle and heavily glossed, a trend recently brought back to life on TikTok.
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Simone Rocha:
An ode to Irish fairy tales, Simone Rocha’s collection was inspired by the Children of Lir, a story of children turned into swans by their magical stepmother. The looks resembled this story, with elegant nudges to wings and water, described by Rocha as “melancholy beauty.” The collection began with models taking to the runway with slicked-back, streamlined braided hair, with plaits so long they dragged across the floor in an eerie fashion. Eyes were decorated by large diamond gems, either cold silver, ruby red, or jet black, in a swan-wing–shaped pattern. Those without bold gems could be seen with thin lines of sequins following their eye shape and protruding up their faces. To keep the gems as the standout part of the makeup look, bases were kept light, fresh, and dewy with soft highlighter, resembling a calm, untouched lake.
Makeup Artist Thomas de Kluyver took the stance of makeup becoming the accessory itself, stating, “I always love the idea that make-up is worn as a fashion accessory and is just an extension of your personality and identity.” Nails were kept clear, with press-ons featuring a rubber gel to create a water-droplet effect and continue the idea of an elegant lake. Models’ skin and hair was powdered with glitter to keep the luminous fantasy alive, with both clothing and beauty perfectly mirroring the Children of Lir fable.
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Matty Bovan:
As Storm Eunice ripped through London, Matty Bovan presented his collection, fittingly named “Cyclone,” from St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square. The collection was punk inspired, with garments repurposed from iconic brands such as Vivienne Westwood, Converse, Calvin Klein, and Adidas. The first model of the presentation had a natural, vibrant face, with gelled-back, neat hair, arguably the only feature in the collection to not resemble the intentional chaos and destruction the show was based upon. From then onwards, every model entered the stage with army-like thick layers of camouflage and neutral-colored paints across the cheeks and under the eyes, creating a tough and ready-to-face-anything stance.
Buzz cuts and short styles were in abundance, which added an element of surprise when a handful of models made an appearance in wigs created by Josh Wood. The wigs were long and dead straight, with psychedelic dip-dye colors such as pink, blue, and bright white, blonde creating an exciting moment. Contrasting the psychedelic look, one wig towards the end of the show was a hot electric red on the top, trickling down to bold oranges and sunny yellows along the bottoms. The show ended in large contrast to how it began, with the final model showcasing a coarse mustache and thick black eyeliner, accompanied by bold navy under-eye paint and a blocked blue and pink wig, parallel to the natural slicked look at the beginning of the genderless show.
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David Koma:
David Koma’s FW22 collection celebrates Britishness through his own eyes. Based strongly upon rugby and football, which Koma sees as “the heart of British culture,” models took to the runway in couture-meets-streetwear outfits, with beauty looks perfectly matching the vibe. After questioning male dominance in sport, Koma decided to dedicate his collection to the women in sport who often get swept under the carpet. From the start, models were seen with hair combed back far off the face, with football-inspired headbands gripping the hair firmly to the head, separating strands into track-like styles, replicating famous British sportsmen and sportswomen. Makeup was kept dewy, with an abundance of highlighter across the face, perhaps a nod to the natural glow produced after an intense game of sport. Cheeks were rosy red and lips a plump pink, with some models looking as though no makeup was worn at all.
As the show continued, necklines fell and the dewy makeup look extended to the neck and chest. Models in the latter end of the show could be seen with undercut hair—again, another ode to common British sports persons' individual styles. A standout from the sport-infused collection was a gem-encrusted rugby helmet covering the hair, ears, and most of the forehead completely.
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Yuhan Wang:
This season, Yuhan Wang’s collection presented an extraterrestrial feel, with models' hair and makeup expressing elements of the unknown. From the beginning, the runway was filled with models wearing eyelashes handmade by Rebecca Wordingham. From olive green to static blue and feathered gray, the thread-like lashes protruded from the models’ eyelashes, wisping in several directions, becoming the main focus of the face. Eyebrows were thin and arched, with the edges of the lashes curling to touch their sharp end edges. An alien-like feel was given to the models’ faces, with prominent cheekbones and brow bones enhanced, leaving the hollows of the face deeply caved in by contour. Lips were kept their natural color and left with a high-shine overcoat, enhancing the Martian feel of the looks.
All hair followed a similar theme, with ’20s-style curls paving the way. Whether tied back in straight-lined ponytails or neat-kept buns, one thing in common was each model's bangs, curled tightly upwards to touch the top of the forehead, sitting politely on the hairline. Curl elements were also added into the hairstyles, matching tightly twined earrings, some of which reached the shoulders. Despite the fresh, fun looks presented across the show, it was arguably Wang’s cat who took center stage. Held against a faux fur coat, Misty the cat was cradled closely in the model’s arms, blending into and matching the fluffy elements of both the garments and makeup moments across the presentation.
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