What’s Been Up
7 nail ideas that scream fall energy
Read Now
The French capital may be weeks away from opening its runways to L’Oréal Paris Fashion Week, but the clues are already scattered. I’m looking at the coral-red blur on Doja Cat at the VMAs, bleached brows on models at Rick Owens’s show at the Palais de Tokyo, jewel cuffs adorning nails at Rabanne’s Spring/Summer 2025 show. On the Venice red carpet, skin was left satin and dimensional, while at Prada in Milan, lips were softened into stains and not lined.
None of this guarantees what we’ll see once the shows begin, but read side by side, these hints map out the season’s likely mood. Here’s what we’re expecting to see on the Le Défilé L’Oréal Paris runway at the Paris Fashion Week on September 29.
The smokey eye has softened this year. Instead of razor-sharp lines or heavy blacks, lids are being washed in taupe, latte and copper tones, with edges blurred just enough to feel lived-in. At Loewe’s Spring/Summer 2025 show, Pat McGrath pared colour back to a soft haze with glitter crescents, while on the VMAs carpet, musicians leaned into atmospheric smokes that felt sultry but unforced. Expect Paris to embrace this moodier, more romantic eye that pairs easily with both minimal skin and high-drama looks.
The lip of the season looks touched, not painted. From berry stains to velvet-textured reds, the effect is more about softness than precision. On the Prada SS25 runway in Milan, blurred finishes made strong hues feel modern and effortless, while at the VMAs, Doja Cat’s coral-red blur became headline beauty. Paris will likely elevate this further, bringing stained lips into the couture space.
A darker thread is running through beauty right now. At the Rick Owens SS25 show at Palais de Tokyo, bleached brows and metallic shadows set the mood, while Schiaparelli couture leaned into near-black lips for a theatrical edge. The same undertone appeared in the L’Oréal Paris x Mugler collection, where Kendall Jenner fronted a look that pushed gothic glamour into the mainstream. Lady Gaga’s VMAs look confirmed the gothic undertone in pop culture, too. These flourishes may not dominate every show, but they may punctuate the season’s most dramatic moments.
Skin is still the anchor of every look. What’s shifted is the finish. Think, less glass skin and more satiny texture. Backstage at Hermès SS25, artists worked with softly hydrated, sculpted skin that looked almost bare under the lights. On the Venice Film Festival carpet, actors favoured the same subtle glow, allowing eyes or lips to take the lead. This quiet luxury skin may remain the ultimate runway base in Paris.
If gothic details bring shadow, the other side of the season is about gleam. The L’Oréal Paris India x Tira collaboration for Paris Fashion Week has already hinted at glossy finishes and reflective textures designed to catch the light. We’ve seen echoes of this direction elsewhere too: at the Rabanne SS25 show in Paris, metallic nail cuffs were treated like jewellery, while on the Venice Film Festival carpet, actors favoured luminous skin over matte finishes. These sightings point to a season where shine takes centre stage as a defining mood.
The smokey eye has softened this year. Instead of razor-sharp lines or heavy blacks, lids are being washed in taupe, latte and copper tones, with edges blurred just enough to feel lived-in. At Loewe’s Spring/Summer 2025 show, Pat McGrath pared colour back to a soft haze with glitter crescents, while on the VMAs carpet, musicians leaned into atmospheric smokes that felt sultry but unforced. Expect Paris to embrace this moodier, more romantic eye that pairs easily with both minimal skin and high-drama looks.
The lip of the season looks touched, not painted. From berry stains to velvet-textured reds, the effect is more about softness than precision. On the Prada SS25 runway in Milan, blurred finishes made strong hues feel modern and effortless, while at the VMAs, Doja Cat’s coral-red blur became headline beauty. Paris will likely elevate this further, bringing stained lips into the couture space.
A darker thread is running through beauty right now. At the Rick Owens SS25 show at Palais de Tokyo, bleached brows and metallic shadows set the mood, while Schiaparelli couture leaned into near-black lips for a theatrical edge. The same undertone appeared in the L’Oréal Paris x Mugler collection, where Kendall Jenner fronted a look that pushed gothic glamour into the mainstream. Lady Gaga’s VMAs look confirmed the gothic undertone in pop culture, too. These flourishes may not dominate every show, but they may punctuate the season’s most dramatic moments.
Skin is still the anchor of every look. What’s shifted is the finish. Think, less glass skin and more satiny texture. Backstage at Hermès SS25, artists worked with softly hydrated, sculpted skin that looked almost bare under the lights. On the Venice Film Festival carpet, actors favoured the same subtle glow, allowing eyes or lips to take the lead. This quiet luxury skin may remain the ultimate runway base in Paris.
If gothic details bring shadow, the other side of the season is about gleam. The L’Oréal Paris India x Tira collaboration for Paris Fashion Week has already hinted at glossy finishes and reflective textures designed to catch the light. We’ve seen echoes of this direction elsewhere too: at the Rabanne SS25 show in Paris, metallic nail cuffs were treated like jewellery, while on the Venice Film Festival carpet, actors favoured luminous skin over matte finishes. These sightings point to a season where shine takes centre stage as a defining mood.
The smokey eye has softened this year. Instead of razor-sharp lines or heavy blacks, lids are being washed in taupe, latte and copper tones, with edges blurred just enough to feel lived-in. At Loewe’s Spring/Summer 2025 show, Pat McGrath pared colour back to a soft haze with glitter crescents, while on the VMAs carpet, musicians leaned into atmospheric smokes that felt sultry but unforced. Expect Paris to embrace this moodier, more romantic eye that pairs easily with both minimal skin and high-drama looks.
The lip of the season looks touched, not painted. From berry stains to velvet-textured reds, the effect is more about softness than precision. On the Prada SS25 runway in Milan, blurred finishes made strong hues feel modern and effortless, while at the VMAs, Doja Cat’s coral-red blur became headline beauty. Paris will likely elevate this further, bringing stained lips into the couture space.
A darker thread is running through beauty right now. At the Rick Owens SS25 show at Palais de Tokyo, bleached brows and metallic shadows set the mood, while Schiaparelli couture leaned into near-black lips for a theatrical edge. The same undertone appeared in the L’Oréal Paris x Mugler collection, where Kendall Jenner fronted a look that pushed gothic glamour into the mainstream. Lady Gaga’s VMAs look confirmed the gothic undertone in pop culture, too. These flourishes may not dominate every show, but they may punctuate the season’s most dramatic moments.
Skin is still the anchor of every look. What’s shifted is the finish. Think, less glass skin and more satiny texture. Backstage at Hermès SS25, artists worked with softly hydrated, sculpted skin that looked almost bare under the lights. On the Venice Film Festival carpet, actors favoured the same subtle glow, allowing eyes or lips to take the lead. This quiet luxury skin may remain the ultimate runway base in Paris.
If gothic details bring shadow, the other side of the season is about gleam. The L’Oréal Paris India x Tira collaboration for Paris Fashion Week has already hinted at glossy finishes and reflective textures designed to catch the light. We’ve seen echoes of this direction elsewhere too: at the Rabanne SS25 show in Paris, metallic nail cuffs were treated like jewellery, while on the Venice Film Festival carpet, actors favoured luminous skin over matte finishes. These sightings point to a season where shine takes centre stage as a defining mood.
