Every season there are certain shows at Fashion Week that you just know will bring out the crazy, wacky and, yes, sometimes even ugly hair, make-up and nail looks.
Whether the designer is going for shock value, unparalleled originality, or ground-breaking innovation, these bold statements serve to remind us that fashion shows are, above all, a true art form.
The spring 2018 season in New York City, London, Milan and Paris has officially come to a close, and, as far as balls-to-the-wall beauty goes, this has been one for the books.
Below, we round up the biggest eyebrow-raising trends spotted on the runway.
EXTREME WIND-SWEPT HAIR
The next time hair gets stuck in your lip gloss or a gust of wind or a rain shower sweeps loose strands in front of your eyes, you can say the look is runway-inspired.
‘It really looks like the models came out of the lake, or pool, or some strange underworld,’ hairstylist Guido told allure.com backstage at Alexander McQueen during Paris Fashion Week.
His team drenched models’ hair with Redken Hardwear Gel and placed front pieces over their faces to finish the look.
A more extreme version was seen at the Vivienne Westwood show where hair was haphazardly smeared across the entire face.
At Maison Margiela, it was not just strands of hair that grazed the front of the face, but thin feathers that were affixed to roots.
Gone with the wind: Models at the Alexander McQueen (left) and Vivienne Westwood (right) shows looked as though they had been caught in a storm
It gives you wings: Feathers of all different colors topped the wind-blown looks at Maison Margiela
ARTS AND CRAFT MAKE-UP
Not all make-up artists colored inside the lines this fashion month. At shows like Yohji Yamamoto and Ashley Williams, artists created not painstakingly drawn cat eyes or carefully lined lips, but abstract strokes and designs.
Out-there looks were also created by embellishing areas such as the forehead, lips and scalp with materials like crystals.
A less flashy but equally creative look was seen at Lanvin, where make-up artist Karim Rahman applied a mixture of acrylic paint and MAC Chromacake in Black Black onto the ribbed section of plastic drinking straws and then pressed onto the outer corners of eyes for an ‘egdy take on liner’.
Sun-kissed: Make-up artist Kabuki made the models look ‘imaginative’ and ‘adventurous’ by painting a hot pink sun on their foreheads backstage at Manish Arora
Fresh ink: Eyeliner was used to create defiant face ‘tattoos’ for Liselore Frowijn’s show (left), while at Yohji Yamamoto (right), black pigment was used to create a more abstract face design
Thinking outside the box: Web-like designs were drawn around models’ eyes at Ashley Williams’ spring show (left), and crystals dotted lips and scalps at Dries Van Noten (right)
The final straw: Instead of a feline flick, models’ eyes were stamped with pigment-covered straws at Lanvin
THREE-DIMENSIONAL NAIL ART
The team at CND spent two and a half months creating 26 punk-couture nail designs that featured pills, safety pins, skulls and even a vile of fake blood.
‘It’s about rebellion,’ said Jan Arnold, CND co-founder and creative director, backstage.
CND also went all out for The Blonds. The brand’s nail pros embellished leopard print nail art with hand-molded hibiscus flowers, gemstones and glass elements.
Top it off: Materials like crystals and safety pins were used to create punk nail art for Libertine’s spring show
In full bloom: Flowers and leopard spots embellished clear acrylic nails at The Blonds’ jungle-inspired show during New York Fashion Week
UNUSUAL HAIR ACCESSORIES
Plush and plastic toys adorned sculptural wigs created by hair legend Julien d’Ys on the Comme des Garçons runway.
A darker, rebellious look was seen at Junya Watanabe, where sections of models’ hair were wrapped tightly around long nails.
The make-up mirrored the spiky look – sharp black lines were painted around the eyes.
Playful and punk: The hair at Comme des Garçons might make you nostalgic for your childhood (left), while the style at Junya Watanabe brings to mind the rebellious teen years (right)