This fashion season, London stuck to its experimental roots. Designers explored themes of human vulnerability, duality and motherhood – all while referencing Baroque art, 90s film, witchy iconography and gloopy, glistening skin. At Simone Rocha, make-up artist Thomas de Kluyver bedazzled models’ eyebrows with beads, while manicurist Ama Quashie swapped plastic press-ons for delicate ruby-hued velvet nails. 

Elsewhere, Labrum was back with intricate braided styles, while Chopova Lowena gave models gloopy tears and spidery lashes and Di Petsa showcased wet-look, slicked down strands, alongside a striking “milky” moment that saw singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock spray artificial milk all over her fellow models’ faces. 

Below, we round up all of the best beauty moments from London Fashion Week SS27.

ASHLEY WILLIAMS

Bubblegum pink lips were the order of the day for British designer Ashley Williams. This season, her World of Interiors collection explored themes of domesticity and isolation within the home. The make-up, by Dazed beauty editor Ana Takahashi, featured a natural matte base with barely-there lashes and subtle brushed-up brows. While each model had the same hairstyle (a blunt cut, sandy blonde bob), different accessories were pinned into the hair, drawing out a sense of individuality courtesy of Kiyoko Odo. On nails, Ciara Ip created chrome, glossy and terracotta-coloured manicures for the show.

CHOPOVA LOWENA

Halloween arrived early at Chopova Lowena’s SS27 Lucky Spirit Lost Strike runway show. Staged at a bowling alley, the beauty was both playful and bewitching. On make-up, frequent collaborator Lauren Reynolds created huge, temple-grazing wispy lashes, leafy face tattoos and gloopy faux tears. It was all brought together by a natural windswept flush courtesy of FACETHINGS blush sticks. 

Braided styles are a constant theme at Chopova Lowena shows. This season Kiyoko Odo created intricate plaits toward the front of the hair, while also weaving colourful braided extensions into the shape of space buns. Ethereal, tousled strands were another look to note, while manicurist Ella Vivii created a series of folklore-inspired nails.

DI PETSA

Greek designer Di Petsa’s London Fashion Week show, Holy Milk, focused on highlighting the beauty of motherhood. Hairstylist Efi Davies was on the scene, sculpting models’ tresses into sleek wet-look buns and twisted tendrils that stuck to their foreheads. Make-up artist Emma Regan complemented the look with realistic-looking tears and shimmery lip gloss. Manicures took inspiration from the designer’s Grecian heritage, so Tyler Phoenix fixed gold, white and sea-shell inspired nail designs onto the models’ hands. 

FRANCESCA LAKE

Inspired by Jamaican processions and masquerades, Francesca Lake’s Wake the Town collection brought bold, colourful wigs to the runway, courtesy of Issac Poleon. Make-up intentionally took a backseat, with Mata Mariélle leaving the models’ faces fresh and devoid of mascara or ultra-defined brows. 

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

Alexander McQueen presented its SS27 collection in a show that brought together the sacred and the subcultural. Drawing inspiration from sources as disparate as London’s rave culture and Piero della Francesca’s The Baptism of Christ, the clashing collection included bondage harnesses, reflective sunglasses and extraterrestrial accessories.

When it came to beauty, the hair, make-up and nails were bold and dark, evoking both an otherworldly and underworld-ly sense. Courtesy of Anthony Turner, models walked the runway with towering horns of hair slicked upright and sprayed silver giving the impression of an alien Keith Flint. Others were given colourful partings in blues, pinks and purples.

On make-up, Daniel Sällström created a smoky, cut-crease eye look in bruised shades of purples and blues, while Ama Quashie on nails gave models metallic manicures with what looked like falling tear drops. The overall effect was an ethereal, shadowy beauty that felt perfectly McQueen.

SIMONE ROCHA

For her SS27 womenswear collection, Simone Rocha was inspired by Caravaggio’s The Taking of Christ. The piece was famously discovered in 1990, hanging in a sitting room in Dublin. To convey images of unexpected beauty, make-up artist Thomas de Kluyver created a series of “beaded brow” looks arranged in a floral formation. These were accentuated by a scarlet red lip, created with Byredo’s Marriage Matte Liquid Lipstick, while models’ eyelids were dusted with Byredo’s Bibliophilia Palette “using warm tones” to complement the garments. “It’s about couture and elegance,” he said of the look backstage. “Something elevated and gorgeous.”

Matching red velvet nails were crafted by Ama Quashie and cut into short, rounded shapes before being glued onto the models’ fingers. Over on hair, Anthony Turner created sculpted coiffes using Sebastian Professional products, which contrasted with the lace and tulle fabrics that floated down the runway. 

KAI GHATTAURA AND FIN FORSYTH

Veering off-schedule, emerging designers Kai Ghattaura and Fin Forsyth showcased their Glister collection in London’s Bethnal Green. Bird-like imagery took over the show. Hair and make-up artist Nicky Harrington covered some models head-to-toe in holographic silver and red body glitter, while others sported sections of sequinned hair and paper masks. 

DREAMING ELI

This season, Dreaming Eli focused on the mythology of home, zooming into “the places, objects, rituals and images that shape us.” For make-up artist Carly Utting, this took the form of a nostalgic look with “lots of sepia tones” which evolved into “something a bit more experimental” with darker colours, like the ashy grey achieved with MAC’s iconic Lip Pencil in Stone. Hairstylist Danilo Giangreco complemented this darkness with a braided look that saw one model drag their several-metre-long hair down the catwalk. 

HAIR & CARE X MAKING FASHION ACCESSIBLE SHOWS

Hairstylist Anna Cofone’s award-winning non-profit organisation, Hair & Care, was also back this season. Sponsored by Authentic Beauty Concept, the charity is dedicated to making the hair, beauty and fashion industries accessible for blind and low-vision people. Cofone created another series of pre-show audio sessions, “touch tours” (which give showgoers the opportunity to feel the fabrics first-hand) and live audio descriptions – this time at Harris Reed, Susan Fang and Roksanda.

LEO PROTHMANN

German designer Leo Prothmann’s SS27 collection, Marcella, was inspired by both Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s 1913 oil painting Street, Berlin and London nightlife. Make-up artist Andrew Gallimore crafted bold looks, that focused primarily on the eyes. False lashes were also stuck just underneath the eyes, resting on the cheekbones, which were set against a simple, matte base. Efi Davies was back again on hair, with sleek glossy strands that spoke to street party glamour.

NATASHA ZINKO

Natasha Zinko’s star-studded Pay Per View show interrogated whether society has become desensitised to a constant state of surveillance. Hairstylist Michael Delmas reflected this by giving some models incredibly glossy, choppy wigs and others naturally tousled and airy tresses. Make-up artist Abbie Nourse complemented this duality with looks that featured painted-on metallic sleep masks, attention-seekingly bold tomato-coloured lipsticks and a rockstar-inflected eye look for model Katie Price. 

PAOLO CARZANA

Paolo Carzana decided to explore ideas of fragility and distortion in his SS27 collection titled: Why Wait Until Wednesday, the Holy Wine is Bleeding and the Colours of the Carrots Are Changing, I’ll Still Be Your Prince of Pain, Until Man Colours the Rain. This was made clear in the hair direction by Lachlan Mackie, who sent models down the runway with huge bombshell updos. Metallic lips and masks were another recurring motif, with a few models donning spooky drapes of fabric around the top half of their faces, which was eerily shaded with make-up to create a ghost-like image, courtesy of Crystabel Efemena Riley.

YUHAN WANG

The horror theme continued with Yuhan Wang’s Sweet Nightmare collection, which brought repression and desire in conversation with each other. Hairstylist Stacey Wright created retro pin-curls, which looked structural and rigid on the surface for some models, but were let down and mussed-up for others. Bea Sweet was the make-up lead, and gave models flushings of blush (some wore sponge-painted lace details on one cheek) which emphasised their “awakened” state. 

LABRUM

Labrum has become known for standout hair looks. This season Foday Dumbuya’s collection, Hands Of Osmosis, was centred around craft and human touch. He often seeks to explore how culture and identity blend across borders. Hairstylist Nick Irwin weaved the models’ hair into delicate, geometric cornrows, while their skin was left effervescent and glowy.