Photographed by Hunter Abrams
New York Fashion Week usually delivers a well-balanced beauty diet, and this season, said menu was personalized.
Though trends born of media (both mass and social) permeated artists’s approach to hair and makeup, the details were tailored, in part, to the wearer, with an aim to enhance natural attributes and energy.
From earthly (see makeup artist Diane Kendal’s cadre at Khaite) to otherworldly (see Isamaya Ffrench for Thom Browne, who gave the makeup artist full license to create), fall 2023’s looks spanned aesthetic realities, merging over-the-top application with barely-there finishes to at times startling effect. The result was a beauty buffet that both appealed to innate tastes and supplied enough charisma to encourage us all to sample something new. Here, five hair and makeup trends that defined New York Fashion Week, the official foray into fashion month.
The Wednesday Effect
The release of Netflix’s Wednesday in late November came with a want of polished goth to which no one is immune—including the artists behind fall 2023’s runway looks. Slightly sinister “goth fairy beauty” beauty reigned at Rodarte, with various takes on exaggerated siren eyes paired with noir lips and nails, Sandy Liang, with accessories (hello, snoods) and moody pouts, and at Batsheva, where a few eccentric details felt directly referential.
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Photographed by Hunter Abrams1/5Rodarte
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Photographed by Hunter Abrams2/5LaQuan Smith
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Gorunway.com3/5Sandy Liang
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4/5Batsheva
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Photo: Megan Cencula, @mcencula/ Courtesy of JINSoon5/5Proenza Schouler
The Molten Metallics
Scintillating escapism made its way into more than one show this season, shapes and shades of refractive metallics guiding looks into fantastical territory. A selection of models at Prabal Gurung offered a gilded “third eye,” while Isayamaya French’s out-of-this-world creations at Thom Browne played heavily in metallic elements. And at Altuzarra, shimmering brush-stroked lids offered a copy-cat worthy method of application.
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Photographed by Hunter Abrams1/4Prabal Gurung
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Photographed by Hunter Abrams2/4Thom Browne
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Photographed by Hunter Abrams3/4Altuzarra
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Photographed by Hunter Abrams4/4Thom Browne
The Glossy, Slicked Hair
This season, practicality emerged with minimalist-leaning aesthetics led by a sleek finish. The shellacked center parts at LaQuan Smith showcased a satin-finish and pulled-tight ponies, while the nape-of-the-neck tie-backs at Tory Burch and Michael Kors showcased a similarly polished lean.
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Photographed by Hunter Abrams1/8Tory Burch
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Photographed by Hunter Abrams2/8Tory Burch
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Photographed by Hunter Abrams3/8Thom Browne
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Photographed by Hunter Abrams4/8LaQuan Smith
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Photographed by Hunter Abrams5/8Willy Chavarria
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Photographed by Hunter Abrams6/8Carolina Herrera
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Photographed by Hunter Abrams7/8Area
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Photographed by Hunter Abrams8/8Brandon Maxwell
The Luxurious Skin
Skin is always in, but the new guard of complexions are more sumptuous than ever before. Velvet finishes and a celebration of the natural contours of the face—accentuated by brushes of bronzer—combined in an elevated interpretation of no-makeup makeup; Eckhaus Latta went (mostly) unadorned; and both Khaite and Brandon Maxwell featured flawless faces that had onlookers everywhere dialing their favorite facialists.
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Photographed by Hunter Abrams1/6Michael Kors
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Photo: Courtesy of Noble Panacea2/6Khaite
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Photographed by Hunter Abrams3/6Brandon Maxwell
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Photographed by Hunter Abrams4/6Eckhaus Latta
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Photographed by Hunter Abrams5/6Proenza Schouler
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Photographed by Hunter Abrams6/6Heron Preston
The Off-Kilter Color Placements
Bold color is one thing; irreverent color is another. Prabal Gurung’s grunge lengths were punctuated by carmine powdered parts and gaze-encasing frames of turquoise, tangerine, and fuchsia. The predominantly naked faces at Eckhaus Latta made the mask-like makeup and liquid latex glove moments all the more striking, as the lids touched in neoprene pastels lent additional whimsy to Palomo Spain’s runway.
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Photographed by Hunter Abrams1/3Prabal Gurung
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Photographed by Hunter Abrams2/3Eckhaus Latta
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Photographed by Hunter Abrams3/3Palomo Spain
This article was originally published on Vogue.com.
Calin Van Paris
Calin Van Paris is a writer, editor, and creative consultant. She previously served as a managing editor for Brightly and Astrology. Her work has been published in Vogue, Allure, Teen Vogue, InStyle, Bustle, The Good Trade, TZR, Well+Good, Byrdie, and more. The scope of her work primarily revolves around the topics of beauty and wellness.