Snogs, Nans And Low-Key Gothic: How LFW Made The Statement Lip Cool Again
‘Get the London look’, says a tousled haired, cat-eyed Georgia May Jagger as she plants kisses on models-turned-royal-guards in a Rimmel commercial more than a decade ago. The brand’s strapline has since evolved into ‘Live the London look’ to reflect a less prescriptive and more expressive approach to beauty but as London Fashion Week AW24wraps up, what does the London look actually look like in 2024?
If the weekend’s AW24 outings are any indication, it seems that this is set to be a banner year for lipsticks as major British labels from Molly Goddard to Roksanda celebrates the return of the statement lip. But true to ‘living’ the London look, 2024's statement lip is all about you, and the way you wear it. This means a more lived-in, offbeat approach rather than a perfected, Hollywood red carpet finish (although, there is that too – if you’re so inclined).
Kiss It Better
The models at Molly Goddard had a 3-day snog-filled, romance bender before stepping out onto the runway. OK, not quite. But that was the effect lead make-up artist Lisa Eldridge was going for with a perfectly undone rouge lip and hints of it smudged gently on the complexion. ‘It’s a lived-in lip, a lip from three days ago, basically. It has smudged and migrated different areas of the face,’ Eldridge tells ELLE UK backstage.
For the show, Eldridge starts by applying a mix of Velvet Jazz and Velveteen Ribbon before cocktailing in Velvet Duchess and Velvet Ribbon for a ‘blurred-out stain’ on an otherwise clean skin. You can achieve a similar finish with fingertips but for the runway, Eldridge uses multiple clean, small brushes to artfully colour slightly outside the lip lines. ‘Molly describes the clothes as blobby-shaped, things are squished in, so we wanted oversize mouths that are blurry to reflect the idea that the clothes are a little misshapen.’
Midnight Hour
‘Film noir elegance’ was how MAC’s executive director of global artistry Sharryn Hinchcliffe described the vampy ombre lip at Roksanda. Set against ethereal, moonlit skin and little else, Hinchcliffe used Macximal lipstick in Caviar, a black tone, alongside Diva, a rich burgundy red to create a diffused lip that’s darker along the perimeter. Macximal’s silkier texture gives this gothic vibe a more luminous, wearable finish.
Make-up artist Yin Lee also leant into the dark lip at Paul Costelloe, with a whisper of gold shimmer to keep it from looking flat under the bright lights.
Chic Nans
At JW Anderson, curly grey granny wigs and showstopping red lips turned heads on the runway. ‘They’re gorgeous, slightly Cindy Sherman-esque characters, quite bonkers and out there. They look like intellectual, kooky women,’ says lead artist Lynsey Alexander backstage at the Seymour Leisure Centre.
‘We’ve softened the other features, lighten the brows and stamped on really strong red mouths so when they come down the runway, you get the shock of silver from the wigs and the red lips,’ continues Alexander. Here, the lip is brazen and unapologetic with the top lip – which is often smaller – balancing the bottom lip so it appears bolder.
‘It’s not glamour, it’s tough beauty, it’s not sweet’ offers Alexander. The specific shade of red is considered too. ‘The orange-red is less bourgeois, it’s less grown-up and serious. A blue-red or vintage red feels a bit more ladylike. It’s to stop it looking too elegant, but more carefree,’ she explains.
That said, everything is tailored to each model's facial feature and complexion in order to enhance it. Alexander used Merit’s new Signature Matte Lip in Vermillion (out 22nd February), a bright orange-red on fairer skin tones and Power, a richer red, on deeper complexions to achieve the same effect.
Picture Perfect
In the same way that fashion has its ‘wrong shoe’ theory (where a perfect outfit is made cooler with unexpected footwear), something a little ‘off’ with the rest of the make-up can make the classic red lip feel au courant.
Terry Barber, MAC’s global director of artistry, demonstrated it best at Richard Quinn where stark red lips are set against haunting complexions with a matte, powdered finish. ‘It’s an 80s' shape, we’re referencing Sean Young in Blade Runner or Catherine Deneuve in The Hunger,’ says Barber. ‘That severe, red velvet matte. The lip shape is swollen, it’s strict, straight and overlined.’ Forget the blush and the cat-eye, and simply pair with stronger brows.
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