'Everyone is over the undone grungy effect,' make-up artist Lauren Parsons tells ELLE UK backstage at 16Arlington's show during London Fashion Week. 'We're coming to a stage where you actually want to fancy yourself again.'
Such was the theme at Marco Capaldo's SS25 show, where alongside plunging necklines, faux fur, teeny-tiny shorts, and a collection brimming with sex appeal, both Parsons and celebrity hairstylist Sam McKnight championed the return to glamour.
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Gone were the messy, lived-in hairstyles and smudged eyeliner of our former Brat summer, and instead the rebellious beauty side we've all been embracing lately had been superseded by a more polished and refined aesthetic.
'I call it the “hot face”,' says Parsons, adding that it's about being unapologetic in wanting to look your best. 'For 16Arlington we went big on glamour. Using a smokey-toned Max Factor eyeshadow palette, we created a reverse crease with a shimmer on the top. It mimics the effect of an eye gloss but is actually much easier to recreate, and gives a wet-look finish. We’ve also gone for beautiful over-lined lips and a chalky pink brown lip gloss, and seriously curled lashes,' she says.
Big blowouts and glamorous updos inspired by a Noughties Gisele were the perfect accompaniment and took centre stage in the hair department at 16Arlington.
'The luxury Gisele from the Noughties was our inspiration. It's an evolution from the polished cool girl, but sexier,' McKnight told us backstage. He created the look by misting Superlift into roots and Save The Do through the lengths. Models were also seen backstage donning big, glamorous velcro rollers (the epitome of old-school glamour) to create extra volume, before blow-drying with a round brush for movement.
16Arlington wasn't the only brand championing the return to glamour during London Fashion Week. Richard Quinn reimagined the word with hair and make-up that was glossy and refined. A final look which McKknight described as 'soft and strong, modern glamour,' you won't find any messy top knots or five-days old hair here. ‘This time the hair was sculpted with finger waves; there were French twists, chignons and even veils for added drama. Think Marlene Dietrich but who a modern twist,' he notes.
The glamorous details didn't stop there. Roksanda was another name leaning into a more demure and mindful vibe for SS25. 'We looked at regency paintings and artwork, creating skin that looks perfectly flawless; it’s wealthy but with a warmth to it,' notes MAC make-up artistry director, Dominic Skinner.
This is not, however, a new iteration of the problematic 'clean girl aesthetic', nor is it a trend powered by unrealistic beauty standards and impossible-to-achieve make-up trends; it is perhaps just an ode to the alluring glamour that is now often absent on the runway in place of possible viral moments and buzzworthy trends - and that's something we can definitely get behind.
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Amelia Bell is the Multiplatform Beauty Director for ELLE UK and Harper’s Bazaar, developing beauty strategy, writing, editing, and commissioning, and leading beauty content across both sites. Amelia has a particular interest in wellness and longevity, exploring the skin-mind connection, and decoding the latest treatments, tweakments and runway trends. She also has bylines for Women's Health, Refinery29, British Vogue, Harrods Magazine, and more.
