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An uploaded image of Grace Jones on Sil Bruinsma’s Instagram gives a glimpse of the inspiration behind his beauty direction at Ronald van der Kemp’s (RVDK) Haute Couture Spring 2020 collection. Jones was a beauty icon of the highest order, adored for her razor sharp cheekbones, flattop fade haircut and a visage permanently washed with technicolour pigments. It was this fantastical disco-meets-science-fiction aesthetic that translated from the dance floor at Studio 54 right onto the faces of van der Kemp’s models: slick cherry or dark bordeaux lips, thick black winged liner and sharp splashes of electric pink across the eyes. Hyper-real and over the top, it was a fresh departure from the tried-but-true nude faces of couture week’s past.
Bruinsma use Mac Cosmetics to create a melange of editorial looks, including sooty black eyes, hyper-glossy red lips, rich purple pouts and pinky-metallic shadow. The only Jones-esque feature missing was hyperbolic blush in deep shades of ruby and plum – but given the bright, bold collection, eyes and lips were the perfect amount of clashing colour and texture.
Hair was individualised to suit the model. Smooth blowdries, slick buns, natural texture, choppy bangs, loose waves and short crops were all on show.
In essence, it was a wild makeup fantasy, and undoubtedly one of the biggest beauty moments we’ve seen thus far. Given the complexities and intricacies of couture, beauty is often clean and simple. But for van der Kemp (and Jones), more is absolutely more.
Founded in 2014, RDVK is a the world’s first sustainable couture fashion house, ethically crafted with high-end existing materials and leftovers by small ateliers and artisans in Holland. Van der Kemp has previously worked s a designer and creative director for luxury brands like Celine, Michael Kors and Guy Laroche.
