What the Saint Laurent Runway Just Taught Us About Beauty at Paris Fashion Week

Tonight at Saint Laurent, designer Anthony Vaccarello not only had his model girl gang walk on water—the pool-soaked runway inside the Trocadero was lined with white palm trees and glistened in the glow of the Eiffel Tower—but offered up an array of above-the-neck beauty statements as striking as his spring wares. Think: Model Marina Krtinic Cooper clad in a gleaming chainmail shawl with a heavily-fringed onyx mushroom cut; Anna Ewers in a 24-karat gold jacket and hot leather pants, her soft features punctuated with heavy winged eyeliner and a bright red mouth; and Sora Choi in a floaty, see-through black chiffon gown—her lids swathed in citrus yellow shadow.

Conveying a sense of individuality, while serving up distinct and directional hair and makeup, here, five beauty lessons straight from Saint Laurent’s spring show.

Commit to a Dramatic Dye Job

Saint Laurent Beauty Roundup Dyed Hair

A there’s-no-turning-back-now hair transformation for a 15-minute-long Saint Laurent show? It was a no brainer for blonde-haired Anja Rubik and raven-maned Sarah Brannon, who boldly went two-toned, acid-bright red and white-hot platinum respectfully. But if a full-on dye job just isn’t in the cards, there’s always the ombré approach, as seen on newcomer Hanna Kamelina, whose dark blonde lengths were dipped in an iridescent ultraviolet hue for her exclusive debut on Vaccarello’s runway. In collaboration with hairstylist Duffy, colorist Lena Ott gave seven other girls the supernatural color treatment, riffing on everything from ‘90s-era Kate Moss pink to the kind of sun-bleached, Californian lengths you’d find in a non-fashion fashion photograph by Joseph Szabo.

If It’s Time for a Haircut, Think Bangs or Bowl

A meager trim… a few layers… Not on hairstylist Duffy’s watch. No, if you’re in his pro-chair, or backstage at Saint Laurent for that matter, you’re committing to something a bit more radical. And this season, it was all about a curtain of full—as in eye-obscuring full—fringe and boyish, curvilineal bowl cuts that pair well with futuristic headbands in studded leather, twinkling tinsel, and heavy metals worn across the forehead to neo-hippie effect. “It was really about creating a strong, strong silhouette,” explained Duffy of the architectural styles, citing the mop tops of The Ramones among his sundry of retro references.

A Bolt of Makeup Is Always a Good Idea

Beyond fresh complexions and groomed brows, uniformity was not a calling card for tonight’s catwalk. Makeup legend Tom Pecheux dreamed up a myriad of looks that ran the gamut from no makeup-makeup to punctuated pops of color. There were the ultra-saturated stamps of red lipstick that brightened up the porcelain complexions of girls like Cooper, while at eye-level, a tribe of women had vibrant, yellow pigment swept across the lids like urban war paint. And for a truly more-is-more moment, Ewers received graphic, heavy-handed flicks of kohl liner that catapulted her accompanied deep crimson pout.

Embrace the Nipple as the Next Big Statement Accessory

There’s free, and then there’s nipples-on-the-Saint-Laurent runway free. Vaccarello did, after all, cause an Internet sensation when he sent Binx Walton out with that heart-shaped, rhinestone-encrusted pasty just two years ago. And from the sheer chiffon gowns to the diamanté netted tops, there were lots of nipples on display this evening. But the designer took areola adornment to a whole new level with a hip-hugging LBD that hit just below the chest to reveal sets adorned with swirls of breezy, delicate plume. Forget nail art, it’s nipple art that’s bringing the real show below the neck.

Gloss Up Your Limbs

Sure, there was hosiery in the mix. But Vaccarello has proved season after season that lots—and lots—of sculpted bare limbs are to be expected. And the sumptuous, leopard print swimwear that appeared towards the end of the show only upped the ante. A non-negotiable prerequisite for exposed skin on the Saint Laurent runway? Exfoliation, and a veil of rich, high-shine moisturizer, as proven by the glossy physiques of Adut Akech and Manuela Sanchez. And not just for smooth, supple texture—but the kind of full-body strobe that can hold its own while out on the town in the City of Light.

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