“Often actors do their own makeup, so we wanted to bring a touch of that energy,” make-up artist Thomas de Kluyver says of the haphazardly drawn liner, red lips, and flawless skin seen on the Simone Rocha’s spring/summer 2025 runway. “I was inspired by the idea of different characters in performance—there are nods to dancers and choreographers, Pina Bausch and Michael Clark, so we used them as inspiration.”
Forgoing any kind of foundation, all models had what De Kluyver calls “skincare skin.” “It’s moisturizer, serum, and eye cream massaged in to give a really natural glow like they’re getting ready for a performance,” he says. While every model showcased their bare skin, there were three different beauty “characters” that De Kluyver and Rocha had identified for the show.
The first was a two-toned lip, created using neon red lipstick as a base and topped with a dark burgundy applied just to the center of the lips. The second: An elongated eye with a black glitter eyeshadow applied on top—a look that felt very London in spirit. And finally, and perhaps most notably, a dramatic floral mask made of carnation petals that echoed floral accents seen in the collection.
With plenty of Rocha’s signature beaded barrettes and hair (overseen by Cyndia Harvey) that was elaborately woven and pinned around the head, this was theatrical beauty with a grunge London edge.
This article was originally published on Vogue.com.
