.jpg)
Staged in the underground Bridge Club in Paris, Valentino’s spring 2023 couture show was a brilliant homage to ’80s club kid culture. There were romantic New Wave ruffles and bold Leigh Bowery-inspired polka dots.
As for the beauty, makeup maestro Pat McGrath celebrated the power of the individual, a look achieved with varying degrees of drama. Some girls had very natural, pared-back looks, while others veered more extreme. Bright washes of fuchsia adorned some eyes, while others wore elongated wings. Some were embellished with crystals or had high-arched skinny brows. Elsewhere, lips were dark and venomous, some in berry or lacquered black, with one striking offering of aquamarine.
Legendary hairstylist Guido Palau, meanwhile, conjured a smörgåsbord of different looks: natural hair, slicked-back hair, two-tone hair, a bleached peach buzz cut, and a shocking pink mohawk. “None of the looks were really extreme because the clothes were so beautiful and crazy and quite exaggerated,” says Guido. “I wanted to keep it cool and kind of real. You know, when you’re at a club, there’s one girl with her hair pulled back and a guy with a great haircut, and then girls with texture. It just reflects today, really. But at night.”