In years past, New York Fashion Week has usually brought a mix of subtle and sophisticated (think: quiet luxury, sleek Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy–inspired looks at Calvin Klein in the ’90s, and “No Makeup-Makeup” at Narciso Rodriguez Spring/Summer 2016). The other side of the spectrum brought full-out dramatic escapism, like at Thom Browne Fall 2024, when hair artist James Pecis sent models down the runway with elaborate hair sculptures channeling Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven.
But this season felt different, because this year is different. Unable to ignore the country’s collective trauma of 2026, the traditionally opposed aesthetics of messy girl and clean girl joined forces to give the middle finger to the “Mar-a-Lago Face.”
Makeup, hair, and nail artists deconstructed classic, bougie looks in open revolt against the current war against women. Dramatic escapism morphed into much-needed disassociation, removing us from our violent worlds and transporting us to fantasy.
Collina Strada’s FW 2026 collection was named “The World Is a Vampire,” and legendary makeup artist Dick Page used a mix of Ben Nye and Make Up For Ever around the models’ eyes, and painted their lips a deathly nude, making them look like they had been awake for centuries. Lead Hair Stylist Mustafa Yanaz used Bumble and bumble to create frizzed-out updos with “sky-high volume and gritty textures,” according to Yanaz.
For Boy London, MAC Cosmetics Key Makeup Artist Marieke Thibaut used carbon blacks and rich oxblood to create "medieval romance,” said the artist. The oxblood lip made models look like vampires fresh off a feeding, while some had cadaverous neutral lips.
Channeling Ulla Johnson’s collection’s theme “Strength in Softness,” Makeup Artist Romy Soleimani used Sisley Paris to create a diffused statement look. Soleimani used Sisley Paris eyeshadow sticks in plum or teal to create subtle, barely there kitten eyes. And models wore either a nude or a kissably red statement lip.
At Alice + Olivia, Westmore Beauty showed that glamour can be understated. Lead Makeup Artist Flynn Pyykkonen created a classic yet minimalist look with a sheer shimmer on the lid and a glossy red lip.
Renowned skin whisperer and esthetician Danuta Mieloch used her brand, Danucera, to prep the models’ skin at TWP, ensuring their glowy skin was the focus, giving off main character energy.
For designer Rachel Scott’s debut collection for Proenza Schouler, Lead Makeup Artist Thomas de Kluyver used Byredo to achieve subtly surreal, asymmetrical makeup looks. Some models walked the runway with eyeliner on only the top lid of one eye and on the waterline of the other. The lips were almost an optical illusion, which de Kluyver called “jigsaw lips,” painting two opposing color blocks of red on the lips.
The hair at Proenza Schouler was purposely styled unkept and lived-in with T3 tools, channeling the look of a woman who slept in a ponytail and went straight to work. Keeping with this theme, JINSoon created grounded yet elegant nails, painting the models' nails in neutral clays and natural hues.
Rachel Scott’s own Diotima collection was inspired by Cuban modernist artist Wifredo Lam, known for creating artwork he described as “acts of decolonization.” Oribe Session Stylist Joey George channeled Lam’s work by creating frizzy, geometric updos, echoing the chaos of Lam’s paintings.
For LoveShackFancy, designer Rebecca Hessel Cohen channeled “Blair Waldorf meets Marie Antoinette," and the dreamy hair by Batiste looked straight out of a Sophia Coppola movie. Batiste amplified the collection's romantic, soft-lit theme, telling a visual story through the romantic yet lived-in looks. While some models showcased romantic, soft waves, others featured low-slung bows tied into loose locks like an afterthought.
At Sandy Liang, Lead Makeup Artist Romy Soleimani used Rare Beauty to create a “sleepy, just-woke-up Rococo fantasy,” according to the artist. By giving the cheeks a healthy flush and the lips a natural-shaded gloss, Soleimani brought dreamcore to life.
At Christian Siriano, Lacy Redway used TRESemmé products to create sleek hair that wrapped around the models’ necks like silken scarves (or perhaps nooses), while the makeup was upstaged by the models’ glowing skin, courtesy of the designer’s new skincare line, aptly named Runway.
At Cinq à Sept, models were dressed for a rock party in Laurel Canyon in the 1970s. The hair, designed by Kien Hoang, Oribe Principal Artist of Global Design, showcased lived-in Bohemian waves. The nails by Sunday Studios were cut short and painted in an oxblood red, conjuring Penny Lane from Almost Famous, giving herself a manicure between sets.
For Anna Sui’s ’60s-inspired collection, Garren, celebrity stylist and co-founder of R+Co, gave the models mini-beehives à la Amy Winehouse.
Marc Jacobs used his runway show to announce the forthcoming much-anticipated return of his namesake cosmetics line, Marc Jacobs Beauty. Using the designer’s yet-to-be-released collection, Lead Makeup Artist Thomas de Kluyver brought back ’90s looks like matte pastel eyeshadow, as seen at raves and New York clubs like The Limelight throughout the ’90s. And, models rocked the borderline-goth black-rimmed waterlines and vampy red lips seen everywhere during that era.
