The past week in Milan brought about an ebullient scene, with showgoers and celebrities flocking from one show to the next. Many industry powerhouses came to play—showing their hand for what they could do this spring/summer 2024 season. Creative director debuts were had (see Sabato de Sarno’s Gucci and Peter Hawkings for Tom Ford) whilst top luxury houses in the vein of Prada and Bottega Veneta let the clothes speak for themselves, producing beautiful enunciations of movement in design.
Of course, no successful runway can be delivered without a great deal of help from the beauty department. The shows in Milan proved to be no different. This time around, it can be said that a number of designers relied on the hair and make-up to convey the overarching mood, like a final punchline.
Take for instance, the disarray at Avavav—made instantly palpable through coal-smeared eyes and wet locks splayed to the forehead. At Shuting Qiu, peepers were blooming in a firework display of sorts, a perfect complement to the kaleidoscope of garments seen on the runway. Elsewhere, a playful, summery vision was similarly enacted via easily replicable touches. Versace had pastel-toned hair accessories whilst MSGM made an occasion out of the soft, sunburnt blush look. There were also simpler yet punchy deliveries; a certain deep berry seemed to be the hue of the moment—spotted at a number of shows such as Boss and Max Mara.
With Milan Fashion Week now behind us, it was high time we gathered a visual smorgasbord of our beauty highlights. Peruse through our picks for the best of runway beauty in Milan this spring/summer 2024 season, all below.
1 / 9
Prada
Where bandanas were stretched over manes—only to see strays peeping out from underneath. There was a sense of purpose delivered at Prada, accentuated by the way most of the models had their hair tucked away as such. But there was definitely still time for switching up those lids, with varied swatches of one particular sunset shade.
2 / 9
Giorgio Armani
Think aquatic glamour. As if they were mimicked after mermaids emerging from the deep sea and Daisy from The Great Gatsby at the same time, the models at Giorgio Armani were dressed in vivid, marine hues of greens and blues—and their under liners were drawn to match. Meanwhile, all of them sauntered out with the same wet, finger curls that once ruled the 1920s.
3 / 9
Boss
A stoic, corporate mood took over at Boss this time around. Slicked back hair was par for the course, whilst pouts struck a delicious combination between work and play with the reigning berry hue of the season.
4 / 9
Versace
Hair accessories have been making waves all through this year, and Donatella Versace knew to present her version when it mattered. For spring/summer 2024, much of the playful summer separates were accompanied by an assemblage of equally playful hair accessories like bow clips and hair bands.
5 / 9
Shuting Qiu
There is a certain beauty in being as literal in your choice of make-up as possible. Case in point? Shuting Qiu’s extravagant runway that saw the eyes fired up—as if they were splashed with the same colourful flowers seen everywhere on her garments.
6 / 9
Jil Sander
This blunt eyeliner managed to encapsulate the vibe of Jil Sander’s spring/summer 2024 collection: simple yet shapely, polished yet edgy.
7 / 9
Blumarine
Metallic, gilded moments were spied at Blumarine this time around. To complete the scene, models’ peepers took on swathes of coral, reminiscent of the naked, bare sand dunes that ruled the desert.
8 / 9
Avavav
There’s always a message that creative director Beate Karlsson attempts to deliver with her shows. This spring/summer 2024, the tongue-in-cheek critique of where the industry is headed as a whole was conveyed with coal-smeared eyes—as if one’s eyeliner and mascara had been smudged because they were crying. To add gravitas, stray locks of wet fringe were strewn across the forehead.
9 / 9
MSGM
It was a refreshing yet apt choice at MSGM this season. To match the quirky, off-beat tune delivered, the once TikTok-favoured trend—of that sunburnt blush and freckle combination—took over the runway.
