Makeup artists and hairstylists staged a return to statement beauty at the Spring 2027 shows, delivering graphic eyes at Gucci, fringe at Thom Browne, and red lips at Victoria Beckham and Tom Ford. At least a dozen other houses backed each of the three directions.

What did bold eyes look like at the Spring 2027 shows?

Eye makeup led the season. At Antonio Marras, makeup artist Riccardo Morardin paired red lips — drawn with the Kiko Milano Club K Pigment Pop pencil and lipstick — with sparkling gazes built from layered liquid eye shadow, glitter, and metal foils.

"My collaboration with Antonio Marras has always allowed me to create highly diverse beauty looks that blend all the facets of the brand and its founder: rock 'n' roll, romantic and [the one] deeply rooted in craftsmanship," Morardin said.

Makeup artist Yadim delivered highly pigmented metallic shades at Roberto Cavalli and Jil Sander. At Gucci, Demna's debut beauty vision — executed by Sam Visser — used graphic eyeliners in popping colors and glamorous smokey eyes, finished with the brand's Stylo Contour des Yeux, L'Obscur and Le Magnétisme mascaras. On select looks, the Gucci Glow highlighter and blush doubled as eye color.

Proenza Schouler took a quieter path. Dick Page painted high-brow shadow with bright greasepaints and theatrical colors for designer Rachel Scott.

"Scott, Marika [Ella-Ames] and Lina [Kutsovskaya] had seen some painted eye makeup that I'd done for editorials and thought about how that might work with the collection and how to fold it into the vibe of the show, so that it felt like a lived-in part of the looks," Page said. "It's certainly a freeing thing, to paint on the face and treat makeup like a fun accessory, rather than a corrective measure or a normalising routine."

Why did fringe dominate the runways?

Fringe — aka bangs — arrived in several distinct forms. The most theatrical came at Thom Browne, where lead hair architect James Pecis crafted "beetle shell" bangs inspired by the designer's sartorial interpretation of "A Bug's Life." The high-shine finish came from Solid Oil by Blu & Green.

"Thom Browne is a very special show, because the inspiration usually comes from an abstract place," Pecis said. "This season was inspired by insects, and I was trying to create a 'beetle shell' type hairstyle that was solid, high shine and graphic."

Pecis acknowledged the cut looked impractical. He insisted one model wore her bangs to a movie premiere in the weeks following the show.

"I think people see a strong cut and think, 'why not?' The world feels chaotic, uncertain and changing. Why not do something bold?" Pecis said.

Other fringe interpretations across the Spring 2027 calendar:

• De Pino: long, straight black shaggy bangs covering models' eyes
• Loewe: textured, multilayered creations
• Louis Vuitton: rows of beaded silver and see-through material catching light
• Kiko Kostandinov: colorful horizontal stripes in red and pink, or red, green and yellow
• Anna Sui: a romantic top paired with a contrasting texture below, created by Garren, R+Co cofounder

Garren pulled from 1970s and 1980s references.

"I love the whole idea of something very romantic on the top, forehead and fringe area, and the opposite on the bottom. The fringe is ethereal, very Botticelli," Garren said. "This look speaks woman."

How did makeup artists interpret the red lip?

Red lips anchored multiple Spring 2027 shows. At Victoria Beckham, makeup artist Lucia Pica paired fresh, almost bare skin with a single bold red lip stroke.

"The collection explored the tension between structure and fluidity, and I wanted the beauty to reflect that contrast in a modern way," Pica said. "Against the muted palette, that hit of red brings energy without interrupting the flow."

Pica built the look around Rouge Victoria in House Red, applied straight from the bullet.

"It's a bold red applied straight from the bullet without overthinking it," she said. "One swipe of Rouge Victoria in House Red gives you that: pure energy in pigment form, with an elegance that never looks overworked."

At Tom Ford, Lucy Bridge matched the look to mirror reflections on the runway.

"Creative director Haider Ackermann talked about that selfish moment when a woman looks at herself in the mirror," Bridge said. "I wanted to bring reflections into the makeup by using different accent points of highlights into the eyes, lips and cheeks."

Bridge used the Tom Ford Lip Pencil in Private Client, Runway Liquid Lip Matte in Scarlet Rouge, and Gloss Luxe in Disclosure. She called red a "confident color."

"It is a statement shade, and it makes a woman feel confident and strong," Bridge added.

Connor Ives took a tougher line. Makeup artist Aaron de Mey drew on lower Manhattan and The Grill NY, where the show took place. He applied MAC Cosmetics' Lip Pencil in Burgundy layered with MACximal Silky Matte Lipstick in Diva for a "rouge noir" effect.

At Kim Shui, makeup artist Romero Jennings argued red had shed its rules.

"Red is no longer defined by a structured classic shape or a single texture," Jennings said. "It can be a sheer stain, softly diffused or intentionally blurred at the edges."

He likened red lipstick to a little black dress. "The power of a red lip is that it gives you permission to own your presence," Jennings said. "It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to feel like you."

The Spring 2027 runways point to a clear shift from restraint to statement-making — and with Kiko Milano, Gucci, MAC Cosmetics, Tom Ford and Victoria Beckham all fielding specific products for each look, each trend carries a defined retail path into the seasons ahead.