The beauty side of Fashion Week generally falls into two categories: wearable or wacky. Some designers will send an army of models down the runway in a refreshing look which can be replicated for your everyday activities. Think a slicked-back pony with a statement red lip, or smoky eyes with a lush wave. But others pull out all the bells and whistles to deliver something we’ve only seen before in our dreams, or nightmares.
It really is quite the dilemma for designers. Do they showcase translatable hair and makeup which customers can rock with their label’s new-season pieces, or do they opt for something wild and downright weird which international buyers, media, fashion bloggers and Instagrammers won’t dare forget no matter how hard they might try?
Photo: IMAXTree
“I like something with a bit of theatre behind it,” Friend in Fashion blogger, Jasmin Howell, tells theFashionSpot of what she likes to see at Fashion Week. “Something you’re going to walk away and remember.”
I mean, it is a show after all, isn’t it? Some of the most memorable collections from MBFWA 2015 were those which delivered a theatrical production, like Aje, Serpent & the Swan, Maticevski and Alice McCALL. “It’s not just about the fashion. It’s more about the sensory experience,” says Hayley Smith of Serpent & the Swan.
And when you don’t have an insane budget for musicians, backdrops or 197 rats circa Ksubi 2001, hair and makeup is your next best bet to make an impact. Think Bondi Bather’s bejeweled eyebrows and foreheads, Zhivago’s Egyptian wigs, Romance Was Born’s rainbow racoon eyes or Akira Isogawa’s sequinned faces. Kooky beauty was all a part of the experience at this year’s MBFWA.
Whether it was necessary or not, it definitely made Fashion Week Australia one to remember. See the craziest looks from the week in our gallery below.
Wacky MBFWA beauty looks
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Dyspnea
Although the frayed eyebrows, metallic eyeshadow and snake-like hair isn't something you'd see us rocking on a Saturday night, Dyspnea's clothes were just as wild as its beauty on the runway.
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Romance Was Born
When you're showcasing at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, it's probably suitable to get a little arty with the makeup.
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Gary Bigeni
The Gary Bigeni show saw some bold eyeshadow by Maybelline, which kind of looked like the Makeup Genius app gone wrong. Sure, the models look cool, especially with their septum piercings, but expect second looks when walking down the street with this drag-style look.
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Don't Want No Scrub
Although not officially part of the MBFWA schedule, the Don't Want No Scrub show last week was too interesting to not point out. Latex faces, anyone?
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Don't Want No Scrub
The hair from this show should also be noted. We'd be drinking if we had to wear that wig too, Valentina Skyes.
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Zhivago
Someone call Natalia Kills, because Zhivago stole her look.
Photo: Josephine Willcox for theFashionSpot
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Bondi Bather
Makeup artist Becca Gilmartin is the one to thank for Bondi Bather's Hello Kitty-inspired faces, and the robotic pony was courtesy of Redken. We've got to admit, it did look kind of fun.
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Akira Isogawa
Model Abbie Weir was a complete trooper closing the show with a sequinned face. "I call it a fashion thing," she wrote to Instagram.
