It’s true that we mostly go to fashion shows for the fashion, but hair and makeup do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to completing the picture. Some designers favour pared-back beauty that lets the clothes take centre stage, while others go all in with bold, theatrical details that demand attention from head to toe. Either way, the runway is always ripe for inspiration. These are a few of the NZFW beauty moments we can see ourselves borrowing at home.
Kinky beach waves
At Twenty-seven Names, the oversized crimper was doing the most, in the best way. Some models had their tousled, zig-zagged lengths swept back and secured with statement bows, while others wore their mermaid hair loose, kinked and carefree. If you have a triple-barrel iron at home, like the ghd Wave Hair Waver, you can recreate the effect in minutes and get plenty of staying power in the process. If you don’t have the tools, a few chunky plaits followed by a warm blast from the hairdryer should get you somewhere in the vicinity.
Au naturale
At Juliette Hogan, natural texture appeared to be very much the brief. Hair ranged from long and sleek to low ponytails, soft curls and relaxed waves, with each model’s individual texture gently refined rather than over styled. There’s an ease to hair worn close to its natural state that no amount of hot-tool wizardry can quite replicate, and we loved seeing the beauty team lean into it. Permission to put the hair straighteners down!
Plaits please
NOM*d and Plume’s Tuesday evening show delivered one of the week’s more fantastical beauty moments, with skull caps sprouting teased, pastel-hued hair and graphic flashes of red painted across the skin. Admittedly, the full look requires a fairly generous dose of confidence to carry off beyond the runway. But beneath all the drama were rows of precise, tightly woven braids, offering a detail far easier to translate into real life. Try incorporating a couple into your next ponytail or bun as an alternative to your usual slick-back..
Glow up
Luminous, rosy and beautifully bronzed was the mood at Caitlin Crisp’s joyful Tuesday morning show. Strategic bronzer and highlighter across the high points of the face gave the models that elusive combination of polished, dewy and healthy-looking skin, which is always worth taking notes on. For everyday, thoughtful placement of bronzer, blush and highlighter is all you need to bring dimension and radiance to the complexion. Come evening, take another cue from the runway and swap a sooty black smoky eye for warmer bronze and chocolate tones.
At Claudia Li on Thursday, that natural glow came via the skincare, with support from Raeso Tranquility Water Activating Mist, which makeup artist Liz Hyun first applied with a cotton round to buff away dead skin, then generously spritzed over the skin to hydrate. A mist is a workhorse in any beauty bag, especially on the go to refresh makeup and give skin a dose of moisture without the need for a lotion.
Rock ’n’ roll
A collision of 1920s glamour and rebellious rockabilly cool pretty much sums up the hair at Karen Walker, intricately crafted to complement Karen Inderbitzen-Waller’s styling. Rather than the high-shine polish traditionally associated with either reference, the hair was deliberately textured, tousled and slightly undone, giving the whole thing a more modern, lived-in edge.
Recreating it strand for strand at home would require some fairly serious hairstyling skills, but the spirit of the look is much easier to borrow. Embrace texture, leave a few flyaways free and twist the hair into a loose, imperfect updo rather than aiming for anything too pristine. The makeup deserves a mention too – with inky dark eyes, a softly peachy lip and glowing, bronzed skin making for a combination that felt both glamorous and cool.
Words by Lucy Slight.
