Men's Fashion Week kicked off the first ready-to-wear runways of 2023. Beauty perspectives ranged from designer to designer, with Louis-Gabriel Nouchi showcasing American Psycho–inspired looks, contrasted by celebrations of the Italian house music scene at Martine Rose. Here are the noteworthy beauty looks from Men's Fashion Week AW/23.

JW Anderson

For years, JW Anderson has created collections that social media has made many a meme out of. Last year internet users and industry critics alike were intrigued by the designer's pigeon clutch bag. This year, his AW/23 collection presented many more elements of surprise—with a significant number of these relating to beauty.

One of the main focal points across the collection was the duo of models who took to the runway tightly hugging pillows, with tomato vines painted onto their skin. Single dripping-wet tomatoes were placed on each model's neck, hands, thighs, and ankles, with bright green stems growing out of them. Later in the show, a model appeared with all-over mime-white face paint and a large red target-like pattern across their face. Following closely behind came another model sporting the same look, this time with a blue design. Another had a large black SIM card attached to his breastbone, which many critics assumed to be a reference to the increasing relevance of technology and simulated avatars within the fashion and beauty industry.

Hairstyles were heavily diverse, with each member of the entirely non-binary cast adopting an individual look. Some showcased short and choppy pixie cuts, while others let their natural hair fall long below their shoulders, sleek and straight. A few wore long dreadlocks, buzzcuts, and tight coily curled afros. Despite the makeup team's choice to incorporate striking colors into the models' makeup looks, hairstyles were all naturally colored soft browns, ashy blondes, and deep blacks.

Rick Owens

Rick Owens is no stranger to creating an eerie atmosphere with his fashion shows, which he did this season. The collection, said to have been inspired by the British Victorian era, kicked off with a long-haired blonde model starting the show with patchwork tattoos plastered across his body. Following next came a model with entirely black eyes that looked like ink had been injected into them. The eyes stood out against the model's pale skin and barely visible eyebrows.

An array of models walked the show with mullets that began slicked back from the roots, which transitioned into much looser, untamed strands further down their heads. Two models were seen with bold hair that was a contrast to the monochrome black collection: an artificial red and a strong bleach blonde.

Throughout the rest of the collection, many models could be seen with heavily painted faces. The ink-black eyes made a reappearance, this time partnered with the models’ faces plastered in jet-black, thick paint. This created a pattern resembling two arrows, beginning at the temple, with points meeting at the inner corner of the eye, continuing diagonally across the cheek to finish at the jawbone. One model showcased the arrow look with one black contact lens.

LGN By Louis-Gabriel Nouchi

Inspired by American Psycho, Louis-Gabriel Nouchi's FW23 collection was, according to the designer, created to twist "the code of toxic masculinity we see in the book and make it our own." The show featured a star-studded lineup, kicking off with Emily in Paris actor Lucas Bravo taking to the stage with wet-looking hair, combed back close to the head, with specks of fake blood covering his stubbled face. Bravo was the first of many to present a specific style of facial hair, as countless other models were styled with chin straps, full bushy beards, and clean-cut mustaches.

Nouchi was praised heavily for his diverse casting choices, including models of various ages, races, body sizes, and shapes. Across the inclusive group, a handful of models had similar splashes of blood covering their faces and hands, including a stand-out character with sticky-looking burnt orange hair whose blood splatters matched their all-red outfit. Another model, this time with a clean face, walked the runway with an electric blue, shaggy pixie cut that faded into a lighter hue of blue at the tips.

A model dressed in black followed, their face covered by a translucent substance that created a mask look, peeling at the edges. The strange elements didn't end there. Towards the latter part of the show, a model with large caramel twisted braids was seen, wearing condoms on their hands as gloves, another nod to the murderous tale that inspired the collection.

Martine Rose

Martine Rose's first collection presented outside of London took place at Pitti Uomo in Florence. Although a menswear show, the collection had representation across different genders, putting a twist on traditional menswear methods in classic Rose style. The models differed from Fashion Week's usual casting choice of industry professionals, instead featuring locals from Florence's markets and coffee shops.

The collection paid homage to Italy's house music scene, and with that nod came some disco-inspired beauty looks, including tightly curled poodle hairstyles. Other models displayed mohawk styles, one with straight brassy blonde tips and bold brown roots, another with dark-black, fluffy, and playful strands floating in the air, contrasting to the rigid center of the style. Another statement hairstyle was multiple long, straight braids complemented by chunky bangs, with silver coin-looking round disks hanging off the ends, reflecting the lights that poured onto the runway.

Makeup was very neutral, with most models adorned in a no-makeup-makeup look, bar one who was seen with a cloudy blue shadow applied to their brow bone. Another model had distinctive straight eyebrows that were comparable to styles seen in the '20s. Similar to LGN by Louis-Gabriel Nouchi, models were of a diverse mix, with some youthful and others elderly, embracing their gray hairs.

Charles Jeffrey Loverboy

Charles Jeffrey told the story of “Akuja,” a fictional floating city filled with laborers, “posers,” and “snakes,” all representing different levels of status in the town. Each model wore select beauty looks for their assigned group: laborers had soot-covered faces, described as “coal mine contour” by the runway makeup artist Terry Barber, their hair wild and free. “Snakes” had ghost-white skin, contrasted by striking red eyeliner, and “posers” showcased soft blue eyeshadow, dark lips, and painted pale yellow complexions.

Bold hairstyles were a common theme across all three categories of models. A select few could be seen with high-rise wigs in Elvis Presley–style quiffs, with the hair emulating what looked like tarmac: black, sticky-looking, and shiny. Others wore styles that flicked outwards, frazzled as if they had been electrocuted, creating a Frankenstein vibe. One model was seen with cascading black, slicked-down hair that weaved through tape wrapped around their neck in a choking fashion. Another could be seen with an extreme take on TikTok’s viral jellyfish haircut, which sees a bowl-shaped shorter style on the top of the head, contrasted by long straight strands that grow out from underneath. The model’s daring blonde hair had heavy emphasis on the rounded top half of the cut, making them stand out among the cast.