CUTTING SHAPES

PHOTOGRAPHY: IRA CHERNOVA
STYLIST: MOLLY KING
HAIR: ASHLEE ROSE
MAKEUP: KARO KANGAS
CREATIVE DIRECTION & MODEL: SARAH ELLEN
WORDS: EMILY ALGAR

Step outside the sartorial box with bold shapes, sharp edges and fine lines. Fashion, as it stands, is not meant to subscribe to a linear, straighty-one-eighty silhouette. Instead, it’s about billowing under bold; sculptural meshed with soft; rigid firming up relaxed. The only rule is that there are no rules. Be a shape-shifter, a mover and shaker. As for textural details, subscribe to a similar, anything goes type of formula: feathers, frills, fitted, frou-frou – even fussy, florid embellishments. Add a flute neck and flat sneakers for a fascinating finish.

When it comes to beauty, the eyes certainly have it. Take notes from New York Fashion Week with expressive, uninhibited makeup. But instead of emulating the colour wheel, go for graphic shades of grey, charcoal and black that’s blacker than black. Play a game of sharp objects with pointed, directional liner extending from the temples to inner corners. It’s fierce and a little feline, so keep all other features soft. Alternatively, mimic an oil spill across lids with molten, metallic chrome applied without modus – just smudge and smear and let it slide around. The idea is a mottled texture with lots of theatre. It’s a high-stakes version of the smoky eye. Frame with an architectural brow for eyes that not only see, but also say something.

With intrepid makeup comes hair that’s tangled and twisted. Take notes from Max Mara’s Spring/Summer 2020 show and work strands into tiny, tight plaits before piling them atop the crown. You want them knotted and gnarled, so there’s no need to be precious. It’s a little Medusa-like – slithering shapes curling around with no discernable starting point. Paired with blunt ends, it’s a beauty configuration we can wrap our head around (if only just). In short, shape up or ship out.