For Jean Paul Gaultier‘s first couture offering without its namesake designer, the house enlisted Sacai‘s Chitose Abe to create a powerful collection that riffed on Gaultier’s legendary avant-garde style. It was a concept that saw the clothes reflect competing aesthetics, all collated in a spectacular mash-up of Gaultier house codes; a bold mix of the masculine and the feminine, warranting hair and makeup that followed a similar thought.
The result? Moisture-surged hairstyles that plastered the face courtesy of iconic hair director Guido Palau, to underpin the unconventional glamour of the show. Models’ hair was worn long, lank and close to the scalp, as if the wearer had been doused in water right before stepping on to the runway. But unlike freshly-washed locks, the hair didn’t hang loose or drip – it stuck, staid and stiff, as if fixed by gel.
Sections were flattened and pulled forward at the front to frame the face, emitting high shine and zero flyaways at the crown. Where the hair hit the shoulders, it angled out a touch but still sat flat against the body.
It should have been strange in theory but it somehow actually felt entirely wearable (or perhaps that’s just the magic of Palau). Models with shorter or textured hairstyles wore their hair pulled back, but with the same face-framing strands hanging long to the wearer’s waist.
The makeup, led by Diane Kendal, involved intricate and detailed designs on some to match the collection. But most models’ makeup was buffed out to leave them looking relatively bare-faced. A number of brows were bleached or simply left neatly groomed, with a natural flush added to the cheeks and lips.
Keen to emulate the slicked-out hair look at home? Try sectioning your hair into front and back before running a strong-hold hair gel (the latest formulas aren’t like the one your high school boyfriend wore, promise) from root to tip.
