The FW22 fashion shows have begun, kicking off in New York with debut collections and eccentric, daring beauty looks. BeautyMatter presents the ultimate eye-catchers from FW22 week one.
Christian Cowan
Christian Cowan presented his self-proclaimed “highest high fashion” show, close to the sky from the 102nd floor of the One World Trade Center. From the get-go, bright beaming faces were a staple look, with highlighter in abundance across models' T-zones and cheekbones, complementing the heavily sparkled and sequined evening gowns. With the collection taking inspiration from Guy Bourdin’s Old Hollywood glamor images from the ’80s and ’90s, the aim was to allow people of any age to be able to picture themselves in the garments, with Cowan commenting: “Whether fifteen or seventy, we’re capturing the spirit of Studio 54-meets-the-upper-east-sider-billionaire-vibe.”
The makeup, perfectly placed on faces by Smashbox Global Pro Lead Artist Lori Taylor Davis, resembled the neapolitan ice-cream look that recently populated TikTok’s For You page. “Blush is back,” said Davis, “Hot pink blush fringing from cheeks to temples, paired with a smoky cat eye and glassy lips. We’re serving worn-in intensity, but DIY impact.” Hair had a similar prevailing ’80s feel, the roots slicked down in a strong-gel look, with ponytails free flowing, heavily crimped, and backcombed. A handful of models could be seen with iridescent glitter pulled through the tops of the hair, meeting electric pink dip-dyed ends. Nails were also no exception to the extravagance, excessively long and coffin shaped, painted either bold matte black or elegant baby pink, decorated with metal gems.
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Bartschland
Known for her outstanding parties, Susanne Bartsch debuted her first-ever collection of clothing at New York Fashion Week under the name Bartschland. With several famous names seen sashaying down the runway, including renowned drag queen Scarlet Envy, Sony Hall became the location of fashion and beauty history. The show featured looks from underground designers Casey Caldwell, Dope Tavio, Guvanch, Jessica Jade, Kim Mesches, and Sho Konishi, before showcasing a capsule collection by Bartsch herself. Destabilizing expectations was the key theme across the collections, with bold, bright, weird, and wonderful looks surfacing, including Sho Konishi’s gory monster-esque models, creeping down the runway in a haunting, distorted manner, sporting single plaits, and violently smudged makeup across the face. Diversity was also key, with models of all ages, sizes, and abilities taking to the runway, with one Guvanch model in a wheelchair, leading the disco-inspired collection.
The Bartschland collection itself was an ode to all things camp, drag, and beauty, with the first model setting her heels on fire whilst performing upside-down splits. Heavily baked faces, bold brows, and overlined lips paved the way in classic drag style. A masculine model with a razor-edged, blood-red mohawk then took to the stage, with a neat beard and blacked-out smoky eyelids, resembling a typical old-fashioned macho circus performer. The next standout look was a mime-like white painted face, red lips, China doll–blushed pink cheeks, and a sharp, bold, blue, yellow, and red cat-eye look. Another model walking the runway sported a bright lemon-yellow bowl-cut bob complemented by pencil-thin, high-angled brows and a burnt-orange triangle-shaped eye look; the model provocatively danced, ripping open their jacket to present gem-studded nipple covers. The next model entered the runway, powder-paint blue beard, eyelids, and eyebrows were seen, with a prosthetic mask covering the middle half of the face, attached by a matching blue washi tape-looking adhesive. The collection ended with Bartsch herself taking center stage on a man's shoulders, her hair in jet-black Rapunzel-style pigtails, with jagged sparkler-looking elements protruding from her hair, her eyes studded with blinding silver and blue gems.
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Shayne Oliver
In collaboration with Pat McGrath, Shayne Oliver presented human flowers to the New York runway. Using materials from McGrath's archives including silk flowers, crystals, feathers, clay, pearls, and glitter, models turned into high-fashion bouquets. Standout looks included a sunset-equse eye look, with deep reds and fire yellows surrounding the crevices of the eyes; lily pistils seeping from the edges of the eyelash line, growing up and down the face, beyond the eyebrows and below the cheekbones. Many models also exhibiting the flower-based looks had feathers and pearlescent gems dotted around the brow bone, shaping the structure of the face. Face makeup was finished with McGrath's highlighter products and lip balms, creating a clean sweep across the face.
Hair, styled by Holli Smith, was braided into horn shapes, perched on top of the head, lacquered in place. Other styles included bluntly cut, texturized wigs with full bangs. One model looked as if a can of paint had fallen directly onto their bangs, instantly drying, creating a cut-off point halfway down the head. Nails kept to the theme of nature, crafted by Dawn Sterling, extending from the nail beds in a stemlike fashion. When questioned on the intentions of the intriguing beauty choices, Oliver stated that he wanted to see a change on the runways, claiming: “I’m trying to be at every Fashion Week and do something that activates the audience.”
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Michael Kors
For Michael Kors, fashion has become about utility and accessibility, as well as comfort, stating, “There’s not a single full-on evening look that’s not as easy as a T-shirt.” It was all about becoming adjustable and the reopening of nightlife, a return to normality. Makeup looks resembled this accessibility, presenting staple smoky eyes and winged liner across the majority of models, a look that can easily roll over from a hectic 9-5 to a party downtown come nighttime. Popular runway names from Bella Hadid to Emily Ratajkowski sported sleek wet-look buns—again, both professional yet sexy and adjustable for whatever event may come calling.
Nude looks were accompanied by cleaner, more classic makeup looks, paving the way for the more colorful garments in the latter half of the collection to lead to more experimental beauty takes. Burnt orange and Barbie-pink garments saw makeup change to bolder, more noticeable and adventurous eyeliner, which covered most of the eyelid, with heavier contours and darker, more-defined red and soft purple lips.
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Eckhaus Latta
Presented in Lower East Side’s Essex Market, Eckhaus Latta celebrated its 10th anniversary with their FW22 show. The show began with a model taking to the runway in a sheer, ice-blue dress, their chest tattoos heavily on display, accompanied by backcombed messy hair, a stubbled mustache, and beard. Deep-berry lipstick made an appearance on several models, regardless of gender, creating a Gothic setting, with those showcasing the lip shade wearing very minimal elements of makeup, adding a somber feel. Gloss, high-shine, and glitter then created a celebratory shift in tone from the low-key look, with models drowned in dewy highlighter, one even seen with their face covered entirely by vivid silver glitter, reflecting off the lights, going hand in hand with the sparkly pants worn.
The berry lipstick then took center stage again, this time with models looking almost dirty, with patches of coal black dotted across their jawlines, under their eyelids, and along the hairline. One model's messily strewn hair was paired with an almost childlike DIY fringe, slanted and entirely uneven, her eyes dark black all around, resembling a raccoon. A series of fresh faces then followed, with models looking as if there were not a layer of makeup on them; however, this time looking alive and refreshed. A contrast was created with these looks, with models switching from deep lipsticks and dirty faces to bright and highlighted looks at any given point of the collection. The show ended with Eckhaus and Latta walking the runway, taking a bow to signify their decade of achievements.
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