Hair and make-up at Yohji Yamamoto Fall 2019 – Paris Fashion Week

When Yohji Yamamoto stages his semi-annual women’s runway show in Paris, the result straddles familiarity and unpredictability.  A nearly all-black collection?  Check.  Signature abundant asymmetry and draping that never grows tiresome or out-of-season?  Check.

What, then, can complement such complicated yet monochromatic mastery?  The answer would be an equally intricate approach to the hair and make-up styling for the show, which began more than four hours prior to the scheduled start.  The directives for the make-up:

SKIN – Beautiful. (That was the only word written.)

EYES – Black pencil on eyelash line, top and bottom lightly, and blend out.

EYEBROWS – Draw the line with CL-25 Steel Gray (Ben Nye).

CHEEKS – Pure white (MAC Paintstick) and wipe off with baby wipe

LIPS – Mix Cadaver Gray (Ben Nye), Death Blue Gray (Ben Nye), CL-25 steel gray (Ben Nye), and wipe off with baby wipe

Hairstyling proved to be more time-consuming, with various multi-colored threads (white, blue, black, gray) knotted and threaded into place, and held together with Wella Professionals products.  Each model required two stylists.

In a rare pre-show move for a designer, Yamamoto headed over to the backstage beauty area – which was separate from the changing space at the Grand Palais – to check on preparations.  He gave a thumbs-up to and shook the hand of one of the stylists.

Videos: Pre-show backstage hair and make-up, Yohji Yamamoto Fall 2019 – Paris Fashion Week
all videos by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine

Photos: Pre-show backstage hair and make-up, Yohji Yamamoto Fall 2019 – Paris Fashion Week
all photos by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine

Photos: Yohji Yamamoto Fall 2019 – Paris Fashion Week
all photos © IMAXtree.com