Tapping into the same rebellious spirit we saw in Milan, Paris Fashion Week was full of attitude and grit. There was the grungy eyeliner at Dior, the unapologetic coloured cat-eye at Versace, and the bold ombré lips at Schiaparelli and Kiko Kostadinov. Even the pops of colour at Giambattista Valli had an edge, thanks to the graphic shapes and contrasting darker hues. Elsewhere, middle partings were used to various effect, fringes were bolder than ever and hair coverings took centre stage.
Here are the hair and beauty trends you need to know from Paris Fashion Week AW21.
1. The trend: middle partings
Where we’ve seen it:
Chloé, Rick Owens, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Lanvin, Jil Sander, Isabel Marant
What you need to know:
The versatility of middle partings was felt to full effect at the Paris shows this season. Styled into soft waves at Chloé they added an air of 1960s bohemia, left long and unkempt at Rick Owens they felt otherworldly. Take note also of Chanel and Louis Vuitton, where middle partings felt fresh and modern.
2. The trend: vivid colour pops
Where we’ve seen it:
Versace, Giambattista Valli, Vivienne Westwood, Altuzarra
What you need to know:
Where previously pops of colour have come to signify a cheerful optimism in these uncertain times, this season they had an edge to them. At Giambattista Valli, colour was used boldly and precisely over models’ eyes, fashioned in bold geometric shapes in both light and dark tones, which referenced the frescoed ceilings of Rome’s Galleria Borghese. Over at Versace, Dame Pat McGrath created vivid, electric-hued cat eyes, telling us they “captured a new world featuring vibrant colours and individuality.”
3. The trend: back to black
Where we’ve seen it:
Dior, Marine Serre, Givenchy, Elie Saab, Chanel
What you need to know:
For his debut runway show at the helm of Givenchy, Matthew M Williams tapped legendary makeup artist Aaron de Mey to transform the likes of Meadow Walker and Bella Hadid into gothic Harajuku club kids, with kohl around the lower lashes and white eyeliner in the waterline to create a doll-like effect. A similar darkness was found at Dior, where Peter Philips used a matte charcoal around the eye to create a grungy look, and again at Chanel where it gave an edge to Virginie Viard’s autumnal tweeds.
4. The trend: unapologetic fringes
Where we’ve seen it:
Lanvin, Louis Vuitton, Rick Owens, Chanel
What you need to know:
This season, fringes have remained a constant, but at the Paris shows they were particularly impactful. Take the blunt-cut bangs at Louis Vuitton or the sci-fi-esque micro fringes at Rick Owens. Then there were the midi fringes at Lanvin, which fell somewhere in between. Shying away from French-girl cool, these fringes were bold, fierce and unapologetic.
5. The trend: hair coverings
Where we’ve seen it:
Dior, Miu Miu, Versace
What you need to know:
One of the stand-out hair trends at the Paris shows actually had nothing to do with hair. It was what was covering it, from candy-coloured cosy knitted snoods at Miu Miu to the patterned babushkas at Dior and the black bandanas at Versace. Whether you need to cover up a bad hair day or give a classic look a modern update, this season it’s all about hair coverings.
6. The trend: the ombré lip
Where we’ve seen it:
Schiaparelli, Kiko Kostadinov
What you need to know:
It was big in the 1990s and now it’s back: meet the ombré lip 2.0. Rendered in taupes and umber at Schiaparelli and rich browns at Kiko Kostadinov, and slathered with a high-octane gloss, this is what we will all be wearing when we no longer have to wear face masks.
