Ahead of next week’s kick off of the Haute Couture Spring 2016 shows, Khaoula Ghanem highlights some of the groundbreaking beauty moments from the Couture archives.
The hair and makeup at the Chanel Fall 2009 Couture show in Paris could have been described as Helen of Troy—the mythical Greek Goddess responsible for starting the Trojan war, and who is often depicted with ringlets worn in a loose half updo—meets a 60’s cover girl. For the occasion of the Couture show, Karl Lagerfeld’s girls, including Freja Beha Erichson, Magdalena Frackowiak, and Sasha Pivovarova, were sent down a stage set with four towering Chanel N° 5 bottles at the Grand Palais in Paris and sporting ethereal waist-grazing ponytails that were transformed into vineyards.
Backstage, the models’ hair was teased at the front before it was slicked back into a tight, long ponytail, achieved with a heap of hair extensions. Hairstylists reimagined floral hair clips and twisted the catwalkers’ loose strands into intricate flowers and bows strewn throughout the locks. The look was brimming with chic bohemian romanticism and added a fresh spin to a bloom tucked behind the ear or woven into a decorative crown.
Makeup maestro Peter Philips—who was appointed Chanel’s Creative Director in 2008 and was responsible for some of the most stunning runway looks for the House up until 2015—accentuated the pretty pony with a natural and fresh makeup look. Philips, who is known to bedazzle an eyebrow kept brows minimal and instead maintained the focus on heavily lined eyes that were extended with a bold, graphic wing. The lips were bare and a warm, pink blush was daubed on the apples of the cheeks to create a subtle glow—a makeup look that has since dominated the runways.
