RUNWAY TO REAL LIFE: 5 KEY TRENDS FROM LFW SS26
Although spring’s still a winter away – including all 5,327 days of January – the fashion world’s clock stops for no-one. Which is why, while us mortals are checking our sweaters for moths, the runways are already flaunting next season’s free-spirited looks. From the romance of ‘Rocococore’ to elevated up-dos, these are the key beauty trends we spotted at LFW SS26.
ROCOCOCORE
Sugared almond shades are ‘of the moment’. The V&A is honouring the fashion legacy of Marie Antoinette (sponsored by the King of satin slingbacks, Manolo Blahnik), and the SS shows were awash with the prettiest painterly hues. From sky blue shadows (at Paul Costelloe) to peachy-toned blush and pale, apricot lips (as seen at Dreaming Eli, pictured), there was a playful sense of optimism on display. The news is full of doom but, in fashion land, there was a potent joie de vivre.
Replicate the look with soft, Ladurée-inspired shades of blush and shadow. The soft, velvety texture of Gucci Beauty’s Blush de Beauté lends a flattering flush, while Charlotte Tilbury’s creamy, Unreal Blush Stick comes in a bouquet of pink and peachy tones, great for creating a monochrome look (just smudge onto lips, lids and cheeks).
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BOHO BEAUTY
Wait, is it 2004? You’d be forgiven for thinking you’d rewound to the early noughties as you witnessed the ‘Boho Renaissance’ play out on the LFW runways. Tumbling waves, folksy braids and hippy-chic makeup were seen on – and off – the catwalks, with models and FROWers alike looking cute and carefree. Rixo harked back to the Summer of Love (complete with headscarves and daisy-laced tresses), while at Burberry barnets were beautifully unbrushed and at Susan Fang, models’ heads were draped with beaded headdresses.
Silke London’s Heatless Curler is the perfect way to emulate that breezy, tousled texture – especially when finished with a spritz of Sam McKnight’s Cool Girl Barely There Texture Mist, which lends that low-maintenance ‘piecey-ness’. At Rixo, ghd’s lead stylist Christopher Laird used the Chronos Curve tong to achieve the loose, tumbling waves.
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A TOUCH OF GRUNGE
The ‘90s nostalgia shows no signs of slowing, with grunge very much on the menu. Think Marc Jacobs for Perry Ellis and you have the kind of attitude that’s rife right now. In beauty terms, it’s all about that ‘stick it to the man’ aesthetic: wet-look hair at Lacquan Smith; off-kilter-cutesy/Courtney Love vibes at Bora Aksu; piercings and bed-hair (complete with clay) at Di Petsa; black-lined glossy lips at Roksanda; make-a-statement lips at Simone Rocha – and – most shockingly, a notable lack of mascara at Tove, Erdem, Mithridate and Emilia Wickstead, where makeup was minimal and naked lashes lent a low-fi, adolescent edge.
Embrace the confidence of youth by paring things back on the beauty front: think nearly-bare, moisturised skin, brushed brows, curled (but naked!) lashes and a smudge of tawny pigment on your lips. And opt for a matte styling wax to add some slept-in, mussy texture to your tresses – you’re aiming for ‘deliberate dishevelment’ (try Larry King Haircare’s Velvet Texture Clay).
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GROWN-UP 'DOS
At the opposite end of the scale, there were numerous allusions to Hitchcockian heroines with grown-up chignons, architectural styles and beehives in abundance. Tippi Hedren-esque, the styles were softened with a whisper of dishevelment at Richard Quinn (courtesy of Sam McKnight) and Yuhan Wang, while at Paul Costelloe, hair was high with a 1960s, Valley of the Dolls-meets-Beverly Hills Barbie aesthetic.
Raring to bring back the bouffant? For Richard Quinn, Sam McKnight spritzed models’ roots with his Cool Girl Super Lift to add some instant ‘oomph’, then followed with Easy Up Do to create added grip before creating a simple French twist – held in place by Modern Hairspray.
Perfect for the party season, emulate the look with a bit of backcombing, then draw the hair into a low ponytail before twisting and pinning to keep things secure. And don’t worry too much about precision – the goal is to look ‘undone done’.
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BAT FOR LASHES
The message was mixed: go big or go bare with your lashes next season. Competing with the pared-back ‘90s ‘naked’ look, Twiggy-type lashes were everywhere – from cute and clumpy at Bora Asku and Toga (coupled with a wash of sherbert lemon shadow), to Paul Costelloe’s Bardot chic and Harris Reed’s formidably fluttery falsies (courtesy of Sofia Tilbury), now’s the perfect time to get ahead of the curve and embrace next season's eye-enhancing drama.
Thankfully, if you’re not a fan of falsies, you can still create max-impact lashes with the latest amplifying wands. From Milk Makeup’s new Kush Big Hit Volumising Mascara to VIEVE’s full fat Icon Mascara, these recent iterations offer plumped-up, pitch-black pigment that will elevate your gaze.
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Cult Beauty’s Content Editor and a Cult Beauty OG, Verity loves nothing more than the marriage of language and lip balm. A quintessential Libran, she’s a self-professed magpie for luxury ‘must-haves' and always pursuing the new and the niche — from the boujee-est skin care to cutting-edge tech. Balancing an urge to stop the clock with her desire to embrace the ageing process (and set a positive example for her daughter), Verity's a retinol obsessive and will gladly share her thoughts about the time-defying gadgets, masks and treatments worth the splurge...
