Glenn Martens just said Twihard rights!

Twilight is cool now. In an ironic and not-so-ironic way, with everything from Twilight memes to handbags are all the rage. At Diesel this season, Twilight very much appears to have been on the moodboard, with the models absolutely sparkling like diamonds in the light. Courtesy of make-up artist Inge Grognard, some models were given an iridescent dusting of glitter while others had their entire bodies and faces covered in sparkling icy-blue paint. Hair, meanwhile, was clay smeared and streaked with colour, thanks to Gary Gill, who also gave models wet-look, slicked back styles.

Sex, as is often the case with Glenn Martens, was a big theme of the show, with models walking to the soundtrack of orgasmic moans in clothes that looked to be encased within latex sheaths or as though they had been torn at by a grapple of overly-eager hands. On the runway, 200,000 condoms were piled high – something that might have come in handy during Edward and Bella’s Brazilian honeymoon. Meanwhile, Alexis Stone stole attention on the front row thanks to an uncanny transformation into Jennifer Coolidge.

But Diesel was by no means the only brand that had fun with beauty in Milan this season. Here are our top hair and make-up picks from AW23.

MOSCHINO

“What would you get if an anarchistic punk spiked up their hair with lemonade and lacquer, piled onto the subway in the direction of the Upper East Side, and ransacked the apartment of a moneyed rich bitch with a wardrobe to die for?” asked our fashion features director Emma Davidson in her review of Moschino’s AW23 collection, which she also described as the love child of Fran Drescher in The Nanny and Siouxsie Sioux.

Siouxsie Sioux is an apt reference for the gang of punks that walked the runway this season, with their wild sea urchin-like spiked black hair which defied gravity and reached high up into the heavens. Coming courtesy of hairstylist Paul Hanlon, the styles were three months in the making and even included hair from his own son, Arlo. When it came to make-up, Kabuki kept things simple, with dewy skin and natural lips not stealing any focus from the hair.

PRADA

Pale blue eyeshadow was all over the London catwalks and pastel eyes continued in Milan thanks to Sunnei and Prada, where this time it was the eyelashes that were tinted in soft hues. At Sunnei, make-up artist Claudia Malavasi coated lashes in green and blue mascara, while some models had their eyebrows bleached off. 

Meanwhile, Pat McGrath headed up the make-up at Prada, which drew inspiration from the concept of rediscovering beauty. Here, the lashes were fluffy and feathery falsies, in various pastel shades like muted mauve, pale pink, mint green, and chalky orange for a “subversive yet angelic twist”. Each pair of lashes was customised and coloured to complement every model’s skin tone, while skin was dewy and lips kept bare and transparent. On hair, Guido Palau kept things uniform and utilitarian with clean middle partings and slicked-down styles.

MM6 MAISON MARGIELA

Over a year after debuting, we’re glad to see that the Julia Fox smudged black eyeliner is still going strong. At MM6 Maison Margiela this season, it was as if the models had been crying a bit and smeared the liner down their faces thanks to make-up artist Vassilis Theotokis. Meanwhile, hair was grungy and tousled in grease by Akemi Kishida, creating an overall effect of an unkempt, slightly gloomy character. This was only emphasised by the collection which was dark and moody, twisted and deceptive.

CORMIO

Girlhood was being celebrated at Cormio this season, from emo rock princess fantasies to the female athletes who “need to work twice as hard to be recognised and be patient while enduring one test after another,” as the show notes said. Nostalgic teen aesthetics were definitely present in the hair and make-up by Yuho Kamo and Alice Dodds, respectively, from the black lipstick, face stencils and pink eyeliner, to the starry dyed hair, colourful highlights and rat tails.