Brands big and small showcased their Spring 2026 collections over the last few weeks. The proverbial fashion caravan began in Florence, at Pitti Uomo, before making its way to Milan and, ultimately, Paris, with the volume of shows increasing from city to city.
While most of the attention is paid to the clothes — and rightly so, as that’s what brings in the money in the world of men’s style — it’s always worth noticing how the hairstylists and makeup artists are doting on models to create a holistic image that fits with the collections on show.
If the clothes seemed more polished than in recent years, much of the hair and makeup suggested a rawness and realism that made the runway appear more accessible — these were meant to be real people, wearing real outfits, in the real world. Just like us.
A raw look
In the era of Facetuning, Instagram filters and extensive retouching, many makeup artists opted to go natural. Of course, sometimes this meant creating so-called imperfections by using tools such as blush, foundation and eyeliner.
At the street-cast Simon Cracker, freckles and beauty marks were left as is, and, in some instances, embellished to dramatic effect, while a few models walked with eyes powdered to seem red, as if rubbed or irritated.
Models looked hot at Louis Vuitton — it was a show inspired by India, after all — with flushed cheeks courtesy of Pat McGrath, creative director of the newly minted Louis Vuitton makeup line. While the effect was painstakingly recreated in the air-conditioned Centre Pompidou, it would have been easy to believe that the models had sprinted in the Parisian heat to make it to the show. At Egonlab., too, models appeared sweaty and a bit dishevelled.
At AWGE, A$AP Rocky’s upstart label, one model’s eyeliner was running as if they’d just had a good, long cry. Others sported affected shiners: badges of honour in some circles, and touches of reality in the often too-perfect world of fashion.
Even at Walter Van Beirendonck and Rick Owens, habitually two of the more daring shows when it comes to makeup and hair, more sober, understated looks were preferred.
Nonchalant hair
Similarly, there appeared to be a concerted attempt to create hairdos that implied little to no effort.
At Qasimi, in Milan, there were uncombed, unevenly distributed dos with bits and bobs that went here and there.
In Paris, at Officine Générale, the hair seemed largely untouched, but bandeaus wrapped around the heads of some models gave the impression of a rushed exit: the way someone might hide unwashed tresses. Bedhead was on full display at Yohji Yamamoto, with voluminous, mussy dos on most models, a fitting match for the loose, pyjama-like clothes that Yohji is renowned for. Some of Sean Suen’s models had wings of wigged hair that made it seem like they had been sent to the runway before they were done with hair and makeup. At Egonlab., the hair was both messy and still wet, evoking the look of someone who simply stepped out of the shower and then out of the house, without paying much mind to how they coiffed themselves.
Pops of colour
From lips to eyes to brows, the face served as a canvas to introduce a touch of colour into looks.
Setchu was showing for the first time in Milan, after the brand staged its premiere runway show in January as a guest designer at Pitti Uomo. The highly anticipated show saw models with green lipstick and liberally applied eyeshadow.
In Paris, there were the aforementioned shiners (more reddish-purple than black) at AWGE, as well as delicate leaves painted onto faces (and bodies) at Feng Chen Wang, alongside colourful smoky eyes. Dark lipstick added a serious touch in otherwise upbeat collections at Kenzo and Doublet. The most striking use of colour came at Kiko Kostadinov, where models’ brows were dabbed with orange, pink and yellow pigment, creating ethereal, almost alien-like visages.
Great lengths
Sometimes, credit for trending hairstyles is owed to the casting team rather than the hair and beauty crew. Notably, this season, there was plenty of long hair on the runway — evident at Bluemarble, for instance, where a number of the models sported veritable manes that likely took years to grow.
The winged dos at Sean Suen were another example, offering a high-fashion take on the humble mullet. At Yohji Yamamoto, there were long ‘fros, cornrows that dangled almost to a model’s collarbone, and locks and other styles that fell well below the shoulder. There was also a pair of tangled, Medusa-like headpieces, one black, one white, to close the show. Big wigs have been a mainstay at Rei Kawakubo’s Comme des Garçons Homme Plus, and the Spring 2026 show was no exception, with Rapunzel-esque braids swaying below models’ waists as they walked.
Unfortunately, getting hair as long as it was shown on the runway takes time, but the headpieces at Yohji Yamamoto and the wigs from Comme des Garçons Homme Plus offered hope for those of us who haven’t started growing it out yet.
It’s in the eyes
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but, for Spring 2026, it’s all about the eye itself. Makeup artists and accessory designers alike were on the same page in drawing the eye to, well, you know.
In addition to the colourful eyeshadow at Setchu, Kiko Kostadinov and more, Walter Van Beirendonck’s show featured some models whose eyes were rimmed with stripes — not quite in A Clockwork Orange fashion, but close.
At Craig Green, models sported light-up glasses that covered the iris with a starburst flare, bringing a surreal touch to the procession — and, at times, drawing attention away from the clothes as one tried to figure out exactly what they were seeing.
