Viral Pat McGrath make-up for Martin Margiela haute couture show proves ‘clean girl’ look is on the out
- TikTok users have fallen in love with Pat McGrath’s porcelain doll-like make-up from the Maison Margiela haute couture spring/summer 2024 show
- The look has gone viral and – like the current ‘mob wife’ trend – proves that mainstream make-up is truly shifting away from the natural ‘clean girl’ look
Make-up artist Pat McGrath’s porcelain doll looks – think glossy skin, thin, painted eyebrows and bow lips – at Maison Margiela’s haute couture spring/summer 2024 show mark the comeback of fantastical catwalk make-up.
Hair and make-up, however, are things that everyone can buy into, or at least dream about. As such, many mainstream make-up trends can trace their roots back to haute couture.
Beauty, too, took a hit. The past decade has seen the public lean in to “natural” beauty looks – something that can easily be recreated at home.
Inspired by 1930s Paris, the looks were achieved by applying seven layers of a special mixture of face masks and water, dried with a hairdryer in between each application to achieve a reflective finish to the skin.
The effect was immediate – McGrath’s porcelain glass skin make-up began to trend and the days following the show saw a surge in social media posts recreating the look.
Clearly, the look has struck a chord with audiences and is feeding a desire for escapism and fantasy.
When asked what made the look so instantly popular, trend forecasting company WGSN’s lead beauty analyst, Christine Chua, explains, “With almost anything available at the tip of Gen Z’s fingers, the desire for fantasy in catwalks is heightened, and people want to be shocked and be exposed to aesthetics they never would have expected or have seen before”.
Still, even McGrath has said she was blown away by the reaction to her work.
Whether we will see people rocking the full Margiela look on the street or not, the amount of attention it has received surely means that the next couture season will have every house seeking to generate the same sort of reaction with otherworldly and ethereal looks that push the boundaries of traditional beauty.
Away from the catwalk, Chua predicts people will embrace the more playful aspects of make-up.
“Instead of using make-up to cover up blemishes or signs of tiredness, make-up will now be used to play dress-up, allowing people to transform into different versions of personalities, characters and creatures by day or night. Glitters, pastels and bright artificial colours will accent everyday looks for a small spark of joy.”