Spring/Summer 2017 Beauty Trends

Whilst clean skin and wash-and-go hair were present across the board during the spring/summer 2017 shows, the beauty trends that did make their mark were brighter and bolder than ever. An abundance of glitter from Fendi to DKNY gave the shows a welcome shimmer, whilst flashes of Eighties inspiration had a more-is-more charm that came into its element in the final days of Paris Fashion Week. And as for hair? Look to Guido Palau, who was responsible for some of the most dramatic transformations of the season. See below for the ultimate beauty trends and talking points from backstage at the spring/summer 2017 shows.

Back To The Eighties
From subtle iterations to all-out retro throwbacks, the Eighties certainly made its stamp on spring/summer 2017’s beauty. Lipstick-bright blush was applied to the temples at Kenzo, Chanel and Adam Selman, side-swept curls made their mark at Topshop Unique, colour-pop lids at Nina Ricci were inspired by Bruce Weber’s photographs from the decade, and Marc Jacobs’s entire show was influenced by Eighties rave culture – from the metallic eye make-up to the (controversial) coloured dreadlocks. Dig our your crimper and invest in the brightest MAC pigment you can find…

 

Pick Your Plait
From the skinny braids sported by Roberto Cavalli’s pretty hippies to the woven chignons worn by Erdem’s 17th Century girls, plaits appeared in countless forms on the spring/summer 2017 catwalks. Are you a romantic? Try Valentino’s fairytale-length braids. A tomboy? Dior’s plaited buns should do the trick. Or an Eighties girl? See Simone Rocha’s perky pigtails or Kenzo’s looped braids. As Guido Palau told us backstage at Dior, “there’s a plait to suit everyone”.

 

The Smudgy Eye
Forget the classic smoky – next season is all about the smudgy eye. At Balmain and Altuzarra Tom Pecheux applied MAC Studio Eye Gloss over black liner for maximum smudge effect, at Christopher Kane the messy shadow was inspired by cigarette ash, and at Rag & Bone the kohl was applied to give a “late night, early morning” feel. In other words, don’t worry about drawing a neat line.

 

Clean Skin
The “no make-up” look isn’t exactly new backstage, but there’s no denying it’s having a moment all over again. With Kim Kardashian-West wearing no make-up at all on the Balenciaga front row and Alicia Keys continuing her decision to scrap cosmetics altogether, the bare-faced look was on full display both on and off the catwalk. At Isabel Marant, Michael Kors and Proenza Schouler make-up was used only to cover marks or blemishes, and only the subtlest tweaks were made at Marni, Band of Outsiders, Antonio Berardi and Vera Wang.

 

Anything Guido Tells You
Yes, we know that hairstylist Guido Palau isn’t a trend in himself, but he certainly makes them happen. Season after season he is credited with transforming models’ careers with drastic cuts (think Edie Campbell, Peyton Knight), and this season he worked his persuasive magic more than ever. Surfer-style beauty was finished off with choppy blonde shags at Alexander Wang, where he convinced almost half of the models to let him bleach their hair, longer styles were lopped into bobs backstage at Prada, fringes cut at Gucci and a number of models had custom “sideburns” snipped in at Christopher Kane. If seasons past are anything to go by, we’ll all be copying come spring.

 

It’s Raining Glitter
There was no shortage of shimmer on the catwalk, in part thanks to Pat McGrath’s eponymous product line (in which sparkle plays a starring role). Dramatic glitter lips were on show at Fendi and DKNY, glitter cuticles at Rodarte, glitter shapes on models’ faces at Giamba and glitter eyeshadow at Marc Jacobs. Spring, it seems, will be a sparkly affair.

 

The Slick Side Part
Turn down the volume next spring, with hair worn slick, sleek and smoothed to the scalp. A mannish side parting was the look of choice at Dries Van Noten, Prada, Givenchy and Kenzo, whilst poker-straight lengths were on show at Victoria Beckham, Balmain and Acne Studios. Not a single flyaway will pass muster.

 

Unexpected Colour
Wait, were those yellow eyebrows at Gucci? Yes, your eyes weren’t deceiving you – and they came in lilac, peach and white too. Over at Mary Katrantzou lips were painted acid-bright orange, pink and red, lips at Acne Studios were an unusual mushroom purple and eyelids at Nina Ricci came in glossy violet, aquamarine and tangerine hues. Meanwhile ears – yes, ears – were painted yellow at Proenza Schouler, whilst bold colour was painted onto the temples rather than the eyes at Max Mara. Colour was very much present on the catwalks if you looked for it, just not where you might have expected it.

 

Lipstick As Blush
Our favourite trick for a pretty flush next season? Lipstick in place of blush. A rosy glow was present in all four fashion cities, with Nars’s new Kiss Me Stupid lipstick shade applied to the cheeks at Erdem and JW Anderson, and the Breaking Free shade used at David Koma. At Zero + Maria Cornejo two Shiseido lipsticks were mixed to create a warm blush, whilst at Kenzo a MAC shade was diffused at the models’ temples for a vibrant Eighties flush.

 

Focus Point: Ears
With the explosion of enormous earrings onto the fashion scene, it was inevitable that ears got paid some attention too. At Giamba the tops of the ears were painted with a silver glitter, at Proenza Schouler the lobes were painted yellow and at shows across the board (see Altuzarra, Delpozo, Sportmax, Gucci) hair was swept back from the face to leave the ears exposed. Our favourite, though, was Bottega Veneta, where hair was tucked behind the ears and adorned with an intricate clip just in line with the lobe. Time to get pierced.