During the recent fall 2023 couture season, some bold makeup paraded down Parisian runways.
“There seemed to be a definite trend for graphic eyeliner this season, as well as color,” said Diane Kendal.
At Aelis, Constance Haond drew graphic black lines in unexpected places near models’ eyes. One had two parallel lines running from the outer corner of their peepers, while another had a line applied under an eyebrow.
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Haond was inspired by the fashion collection. “I felt something close to the sculptural and mineral texture when I discovered it,” she said. “So I used this really cold, black paint [around the] eyes, close to an obsidian rock. I wanted something that can give strength to the model, but also feel the fragility of humanity.
“I used a wet texture on the black around the eyes and lips to give fragility, and kept the black really dry for the graphics shapes, like war paint to give a feeling of power,” she continued.
Kendal also fashioned graphic eyes on models for the ArdAzAei show.
“The inspiration for the hair and makeup was the film ‘Blade Runner,’” she said. “I didn’t want to do a literal interpretation, so opted for the graphic eyeliner placed just above the banana, placed on the inner corner leaving a space and then placing an extended liner towards the outer corner. This gave the dramatic feel of ‘Blade Runner,’ with a modern twist.
“Eyebrows were filled in, squaring off the front of the brow and straightening them out, giving a boyish feel,” added Kendal.
Marcello Costa took a cue from Imane Ayissi’s clothes. “The inspiration came from the beautiful collection, of the designer’s expressing his DNA as an artist,” he said, explaining the idea was then to translate the clothes’ details, textures and colors into the makeup. Costa added metallic paillettes on models’ eyebrows and drew in pink over their top eyelids.
“It is all about storytelling through makeup,” he said.