The 9 Biggest Beauty Trends From the Fall 2022 Runways

From radical hair transformations to after-dark makeup statements, here are the nine beauty trends we’ve already begun charting.

This fashion month, inspiration for cathartic change and escapism was aplenty. There were models who underwent radical transformation by way of their hair, like Kendall Jenner with her new copper red or Isabeli Fontana with a fresh chop inspired by Linda Evangelista in the ’90s. If it wasn’t their lengths, it was their brows, with bleached arches making a major return at Versace and Burberry alike.

Revitalizing makeup strategies saw shocking color statements, from off-kilter pastels to deep midnight hues, as well as idiosyncratic takes on metallic eyes and classic red lips. And for hair, it was all about dazzling braids and glossy slick-backs of all shapes and forms. Of course, there are also the statements that thrust viewers into a much-needed otherwordly fantasy. There are no better examples of this than the sparking crystal jewelry designs at Burberry and Simone Rocha. Here are the nine beauty trends from Fall 2022 we’ve already begun charting.

Radical Hair Transformations

Prada

Isabeli Fontana


It began at New York Fashion Week when Brazilian supermodel Isabeli Fontana traded in her long waves for an edgy ’90s crop in a nod to the great Linda Evangelista for Michael Kors. Then, at Prada, Kendall Jenner made her redhead debut conceived in a collaboration between colorists-to-the-stars Matt Rez and Jenna Perry. Finally, at the end of the month, Gigi Hadid bleached not just her waist-grazing lengths, but also her brows for the ultimate high-impact transformation.

Bleached-Out Brows

Versace

Burberry

Richard Quinn


Speaking of bleached brows, Hadid wasn’t the only one to take the peroxide plunge at arch level. This is because the look was an integral part of the almost alien beauty at Richard Quinn, as seen on the likes of Lila Moss. Then, backstage at both Versace and Burberry, makeup artist Pat McGrath bleached model arches, upping the ante on “smoldering graphic smoky eyes” and starkly bare complexions.

Metallic Accents


Gucci

Ambush

Vaquera


Amid the come-as-you-are beauty mix at Gucci, eyes were blocked in metallic silver and green foil by global makeup consultant Thomas de Kluyver. Slices of gilded pigment also showed up at Ambush with shimmering dashes of bronze and purple across gazes; and Dior, with pro Peter Philips adding “a little twist” to the eye by way of swipes of silver on the inner corners of the eyes for a conceptual touch. In other instances, metallic hair accessories, like the delicate barrettes at Fendi and gilded Margot Tenenbaum–style logo clips at Chanel, were added to the hair for a dose of gleaming embellishment.

Braids! Braids! Braids!

Collina Strada

Simone Rocha

Dior

Schiaparelli


This season’s biggest braid moments were all about bringing the drama. At Collina Strada, model Indira Scott’s signature cascade of plaits were slung into a looped, gravity-defying updo. Ever the show for braid inspiration, Simone Rocha served up magical plaited pigtails that formed a small hoop at the base and fell all the way down to the hips. Harvey, the masterful stylist behind said plaits, also whipped up quite the statement at Schiaparelli, where one model wore a beautiful cornrow updo accented by prickly spikes that ran down the middle of the head like a mohawk to punkish effect. And then of course there was Dior, where hairstylist Guido Palau presented an updated take on the Renaissance braid topped off with a sleek headband to “space warrior” effect.

Bold Face Embellishments

Simone Rocha

Connor Ives

Burberry

Givenchy


In London, Connor Ive’s runway debut explored Y2K club kid beauty codes, which of course meant that colorful face gems were part of the equation. Then, musing on an entirely different beauty reference point, Simone Rocha paid tribute to fantastical Irish folklore with ​​pearls and crystals encasing model gazes. Rounding out the month in Paris, at Givenchy there were trompe l’oeil face piercings, with metal gems pressed along the forehead above the eyes. Back in London at Burberry, McGrath dressed select faces in “thousands of prismatic crystal couture gems,” even imprinting the Burberry logo in the mix.

Reimagined Red Lips

Tory Burch

Khaite

Marni

Miu Miu


Red lips continue to be a timeless touch. But making the look feel individual is really the key to pulling it off with aplomb. Accordingly, the month was filled with different takes, beginning in New York where deep, cool-toned iterations at Khaite and Tory Burch ruled. At Marni, a more abstract, blurred shade won out to bohemian effect. And in Paris, bright coral red pouts were enhanced with a layer of translucent gloss for a slick effect.

Vivid Eye Statements

Gabriela Hearst

Maryam Nassir Zadeh

Valentino

Saint Laurent


This season, there’s a wide spectrum of color statements to choose from. In New York, standout eye shades skewed off-kilter with the washed-out pastels at Gabriela Hearst and washes of “taupe, acid yellow, and moon purple,” as makeup artist Fara Homidi called them, at Maryam Nassir Zadeh. On the flip side, Paris was all about super saturated jewel tones, like the fuchsia winged eyes at Valentino and the shocks of violet and Yves Klein Blue at Saint Laurent.

Damp and Drenched Hair

Peter Do

Altuzarra

Fendi

Giambattista Valli


There’s nothing that feels more runway than slicked-back hair. Across lengths and textures, there were many takes on damp lengths, beginning with the just-emerged-from-the-pool sweeps at Peter Do and then Altuzarra, where at the designer’s request for a “coming out of the ocean” effect, side-swept, near-sopping lengths were sculpted accordingly by hairstylist James Pecis. At Fendi, pro Guido Palau wanted the glossy wet hair to feel “light and easy, but also give it a masculine feel,” with a deep side parting. Last but not least were the glossy, drenched lengths at at Giambattisa Valli. As hairstylist Cyndia Harvey put it, “They said wet, so I gave drenched.”

After-Dark Beauty

Eckhaus Latta


Collina Strada

Blumarine

Vaquera

Perhaps inspired by the downtown New York nightlife scene, there were “nocturnal” jet black-streaked eyes at Eckhaus Latta and intentionally “smudgy and smoky” dabs of black pigment at Collina Strada designed to signal a hazy night of dancing, makeup artist Allie Smith said backstage. Moody black pouts were also big this season, from the midnight plums at Vaquera to the saturated inky onyx mouths at Gucci and Blumarine.

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