If Karl’s scale replica of La Tour Eiffel was the yardstick, the fashion and beauty of Haute Couture Fall 17 was to be grand. And indeed, it was. For a week which celebrates the most adroit fashion ateliers, the high-ranking hair and makeup artists are called to beauty arms, with the likes of Eugene Souleiman, Peter Phillips, Pat McGrath, Guido Palau and Odile Gilbert taking centre (back)stage. With artful finesse and a steady hand (very important), model faces were painted with a foiled finish and disco turns, whilst hair was lathered up and left, or crimped. 

Here, the stellar beauty moments of Haute Couture.

DISCO EYES 
Another interpretation of the forever-in-vogue le smoky eye, Peter Dundas’ cadre of models had all-nighter peepers in pop purple and teenage angst black by makeup artist Lisa Butler. Dundas’ beauty order was quite schizophrenic; with dance floor grunge at the front and a schoolgirl party at the back (read: girly bows). Whilst the eyes at Armani Privé were awash in sooty black and grey, smudged both atop and under the eye with macabre drama.

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Credit: Getty Images
Soapy STRANDS
One of the most enduring images to emerge from fashion week, Eugene Souleiman took clean hair to the next level. His haute take on soaps and suds? Leave them in. Hair was washed, lathered and left, with models parading down the runway with foamy, soapy and very wet locks – some peaks were folded half-way through, others entirely covered heads – it was whipped and creamy hair creativity. Splish splash they were takin’ a bath – couture style. 

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Credit: Getty Images
Caught up 
At Chanel, Sam McKnight paid hair homage to the Duchess of Cambridge’s much debated predilection for a hairnet, catching twisted ponytails with netting, posing the question; if Chanel does it, does it make it cool?

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Credit: Instagram, @sammcknighthair
MIRROR MOUTH
Makeup mirrored (quite literally) Margiela’s iconoclastic perspective, with lips made metallic and holographic. John Galliano’s ingenious vision played out via the craftsmanship of Pat McGrath, who used hybrid shades from her Matte Trance range; Elson, Deep Void and Full Panic with an ombré effect. But, it was its finishing touch which proved most stellar – structured red foil and transparent paper made for some seriously heavy metal mouths. Mirror mirror on the wall – Maison Margiela’s are the fairest (and futuristic) of them all.

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Credit: Getty Images
BABY CRIMPS 
Fendi’s Haute Fourrure Collection called back the crimp, with a softer, less offensive version than its ’80s counterpart. For a fresh, modern take, Sam McKnight braided hair into tiny, tiny plaits (undoing some and leaving others plaited) then pulled hair half-back, pinning some with that ubiquitous Fendi fourrure. It was an ’80s Braidy Bunch meets Animal Kingdom.

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Credit: Getty Images
brave BROWS
“This intrepid adventurer feels at home all over the world. She’s an explorer who crosses the give continents and shows us a beautiful, bare, slightly untamed beauty that is unaffected,” explained Dior Makeup and Image Director Peter Phillips. Wild and bold, brows were the signature beauty look at Dior, swept upwards with Diorshow Brow Styler and Diorshow Bold Brow.

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Credit: Getty Images
WHITE OUT
It was a case of eyes wide open, as graphic whites were the beauty order at Valentino. Pat McGrath painted a chalky silver on the inner corners and atop the lash line, in one short, chunky strip. A lighter take on the dark mood that prevailed.  

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Credit: Instagram, @maisonvalentino
Gilded tears
Models wept on the runway, as Gaultier would want them to, with gold. The girls were crying a golden river; with tears falling like drops of molten.

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Credit: Getty Images
SHOOTING STAR
Suds and soap aside, Eugene Souleiman also spray-painted model hair with golden stars. Slicked-down and wet – it gave new meaning to helmet hair, with a gold star spray painted near the crown. There were also glitter “shower caps” – adding a big sparkle to bath time. 
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Credit: Instagram, @eugenesouleiman