Paris Fashion Week closed the Spring/Summer 2027 womenswear season in early October with the boldest beauty of the four-city circuit. Sequins turned up on lips at Vaquera and Cecilie Bahnsen, ponytails at Julie Kegels looked caught mid-haircut, and models at Noir Kei Ninomiya wore Rococo ringlets with petals covering their mouths.
Polished, glossy beauty did not disappear. Chanel, Dior, and Victoria Beckham kept skin dewy and finished. But the season’s most photographed backstage moments sat firmly on the dramatic side, and that register now drives casting briefs, beauty editorials, and the campaign cycle that follows.
Lips and Eyes Drove the Drama
Mouths carried the loudest looks. Daniel Sällström coated lips in purple and iridescent sequins at Vaquera, while Mel Arter scattered sparkle lightly across bare lips at Cecilie Bahnsen for a just-kissed effect. At Dries Van Noten, Thomas de Kluyver faded burgundy into bright red and built two-tone lips in pink and purple. Schiaparelli put matte black on lips in spring, courtesy of Pat McGrath. At Junya Watanabe, Isamaya Ffrench went deep plum with metallic shadow.
Bright red got the fullest treatment, at Tom Ford, Lanvin, and Victoria Beckham. Lucia Pica described the shade she created as “a red that is joyful and alive, a breath of fresh color,” and as “a bold red applied straight from the bullet without overthinking it.” Skin stayed minimal around it.
Eyes answered with equal force. Diane Kendal washed lids in watercolor lilac at Akris, Vaquera blended purple well past the lids, and Yadim Carranza applied baby blue in a deliberately uneven wash at Valentino. Peter Philips paired glittery cat-eye wings with bare, dewy skin at Dior, and Lucia Pieroni used silver and turquoise washes at Chanel. At Rick Owens, Daniel Sällström gave models enlarged jet-black pupils framed by oversized wispy lashes and bleached brows.
The most extreme work read as character design. Inge Grognard brought drag-inspired faces to Maison Margiela, Yohji Yamamoto pressed fallen lashes across the skin, and Hodakova painted extra eyes on the eyelids.
Hair and Nails Embraced the Unfinished
Hairstylists leaned into work-in-progress texture. Louis Ghewy cut Julie Kegels ponytails to look disconnected, as if a big chop had stopped halfway, and Kim Rance twisted low ponytails around pencils at Carven. Curls and fringes also returned at Acne Studios and Dries Van Noten.
Color became styling rather than commitment. Damien Boissinot dipped ends in pastel pink at Isabel Marant, Cyndia Harvey built ombré curls at Casablanca, and Louis Ghewy sent feathery neon wigs down the Mugler runway. Ann Demeulemeester went the other way, with Anthony Turner shaping gelled, sun-kissed strands.
Nails refused to look finished, too. Ama Quashie painted snakeskin prints at Dior, Desi Lazarova left grown-out red polish at Julie Kegels, and Mei Kawajiri colored outside the lines at Miu Miu.
What Maximal Beauty Means for Model Bookings
Beauty direction this loud changes what casting teams look for. With statement mouths back in focus, lip shape, expression, and comfort in close-up carry more weight. Heavy eye work favors visible brows, lid space, and a steady stare, which is why the most theatrical shows pulled performers as much as walkers.
Texture is being requested rather than smoothed away. Curl, coil, and volume appeared across the schedule, and the strongest portfolios showed that texture in digitals instead of a straightened version. Statement color ran the other way, with wigs and temporary dips treated as styling, not a permanent change.
Adaptation is the through line. The same week called for glassy skin and heavy prosthetics, sometimes on the same face, and the models who worked consistently were the ones who could move between registers. For new faces, the practical read is simple: keep digitals clean, add a beauty-forward editorial test or two, and treat a season’s trend as a brief, not an identity.
