Lady and the tramp: This season's hair, nails and make-up

This season’s beauty is a tale of two cities, take your pick from urban grunge and old-school glamour, says Emma Akbareian

HAIR

'This season was about a more womanly kind of beauty…very cinematic, with references to film noir,' explains Guido Palau, creative consultant of Redken. At Bottega Veneta it was Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver who provided the inspiration for high-octane curls reminiscent of Guy Bourdin heroines. Volume is key – those retro styles requiring serious lift at the roots. At the opposite end of the spectrum was the wet look, plastered-down locks seen on the catwalks of Louis Vuitton, Prada and Roberto Cavalli. A stylised glisten applied to hair as a finishing touch can give that artful, 'caught in the rain' look, rather than making the wearer resemble the proverbial drowned rat.

NAILS

The nail colour sported by models at Karl Lagerfeld’s autumn/winter show for Chanel is a sell-out shade not only impossible to get your hands on – or indeed to get on your hands – but also widely sets the tone for the season.

Elixir was the shade of choice, a milky-soft mixture of red and pink that fits in perfectly with the ladylike tone that is so prevalent in the collections.

Elsewhere, talons took on a darker look with Fendi and Oscar De La Renta choosing a gothic black shade while a more vampy shade of red was shown at Thom Browne.

MAKE-UP

Red lips are hardly ground-breaking but at Dolce & Gabbana, make-up artist Pat McGrath – creative adviser for the brand’s cosmetics collection – was asked to reinvent a classic. Sicilian cathedrals and Sophia Loren served up as inspirational fodder. For that, one colour wouldn’t suffice, so Pat used a combination of Dolce’s Ultra and Amethyst shades for a velvety crimson effect.Elsewhere, the grunge vibe was in the eyes; at Roberto Cavalli, MAC’S Carbon eye shadow and Graphblack Kohl Eyeliner was applied with abandon up to the outer corner and underneath the eyes and smudged.