Smudged eyeliner, skinny brows, and a dark lip—London Fashion Week served beauty straight from the depths of the emo phase
London in the 1980s was the gothic ground zero. It was its altar, where the faithful wore lots of black leather, lace, and a generous amount of eyeliner. The fashion scene led by Vivienne Westwood and company incorporated elements of glam rock and Victoria-era romance, bringing that dark and theatrical spirit to the runway. So much individuality and self-expression seeped into the F/W 25 shows of London Fashion Week, where beauty looks carried the same dark, moody, and gothic allure.
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Mark Fast’s Smudged Eyeliner
Mark Fast’s take on gothic beauty is fit for the modern emos. Makeup artist Sharon Dowsett painted the lips in dark crimson and smoked out the eyes in heavy black eyeliner. The sharp twist? Red pigment placed in the inner corners, like a sleepless night gone chic. Adding to the modernity was a sheen and a dewier finish as opposed to the powdery pallor of the ‘80s.
Harris Reed’s Spider Lashes
Harris Reed went big this season, with models sporting lashes that stretched into spidery lengths. It was the highlight of the Gilded show (perhaps after the actual fashion and the fact that Florence Pugh opened it). Lead makeup artist Sofia Tilbury kept the rest of the makeup soft and luminous, letting the fluttery falsies and mascara-heavy lashes steal the scene. It brings back memories of the emo kids who loved letting their eyes do all the talking.
Simone Rocha’s Skinny Brows
At Simone Rocha, there was no dying of brows or lathering with stick glue to erase it. Makeup artist Thomas de Kluyver removed them entirely, replacing them with skinny arches made from red, pink, or black beads. Is it the colors, the angle, or the skinniness that made the models look angsty? We say it’s all of the above.
KEBURIA’s Dip Dyed Bangs
The hair over at KEBURIA might have looked funny at first glance with the dip-dyed fringe almost reading as toupees, but on second look, the contrast was there. Models wore sleek ponytails with wispy blonde, yellow, and black bangs falling loose in front. Paired with matte black lipstick care of Alice Dodds, hairstylist Ryo Narushima took us back to some of our emo-era bleach jobs.
Chet Lo’s Crimped Locks
We’ve seen it on BeautyTok first: crimping irons making a year-2000s comeback. But at this season’s Chet Lo show, lead hairstylist Anna Cofone took a different route. Instead of crimping the hair from root to tip, random sections of hair were pressed for a more accidental look.
And just like that, our past emo selves would feel right at home at Fashion Week. What once got us side-eyes in school might just be the look of the season.
Featured Image and Photos: HARRIS REED, THOMAS DE KLUYVER (via Instagram), CHARLOTTE TILBURY, THE IMPRESSION
