In the early 1970s, thousands of terracotta sculptures depicting the army of the first emperor of China in 200 BCE were discovered by farmers in Xi’an, China. Over the past four decades, these pieces have become worldwide fascinations as a key discovery in documenting life from that era. For his AW24 collection, aptly entitled ‘Terracotta’, Asian-American designer Chet Lo honoured the story by bringing those figures to life. “This season is all about strength. It’s inspired by the idea of the Terracotta Army and replicating the strength and awakening of those sculptures,” Lo says.

The beauty, which Lo describes as “the final touch that brings the narrative to life” helped evoke the vitality of the sculptures. “For the looks, we were really inspired by marrying but also elevating the look with the hair. We really wanted something incredibly futuristic, strong and wanted to create an almost ‘helmet’ like style with the hair.”

Working with Lo to bring the intricate vision to life was hairstylist Anna Cofone, best known for her work with Lana Del Rey. “I wanted it to be really strong, almost futuristic,” she says on the process behind the hairstyles. “I knew it had to be equally sculptural and textural but for there to also be a red thread which continued from the looks we’d created for previous seasons.”

While some models had slicked-back hair with metallic detailing, others had hair turned into horns, reflective of Lo’s signature spiky style. “Working with Chet reminds me of my time studying performing arts, he is so passionate about the story, who the character is walking the runway, and how each element contributes to this,” says Cofone. The hair is an extension of the clothes so it’s really important to spend time playing with ideas. I’m constantly looking back at the clothes and thinking about what Chet wants to evoke.”

Elsewhere, the make-up, done by Isamaya Ffrench, saw models weep molten tears – representing both the cracking of the figures and the duality of strength Lo vision depicted. But those were not the only fashion week tears. At Di Petsa, model Nassia Matsa walked the runway with a chrome silver tear courtesy of Crystabel Riley, while other models wore delicate, whispy silver lashes. Embodying different forms of female divinity and sexuality, the collection ‘The Body as Prayer’ saw new versions of the Greek designer’s classic wet looks embellished in metallic fishnet veils. 

Here are the rest of LFW’s best beauty trends. 

BLACK STRETCHY HEADBANDS 

Last year, the black stretchy headband remerged as a beauty accessory staple. Seen on the likes of Bella Hadid, Kaia Gerber and Alexa Demie, the preppy elastic headband became a necessary accessory perfect for every occasion. Have greasy hair you cannot be bothered to deal with, or maybe you want to look like an off-duty model on her way to Erewhon? A black stretchy headband is here for you. Whether worn as a statement accessory or as a practical hair solution, the headband trend has showcased its versatility and enduring appeal to multiple generations. 

Now, following its reemergence last year, the trend has trickled its way back into runways where it was spotted at both the Conner Ives and SVRC shows. Current fashion it-girl Alex Consani opened the Conner Ives show in a strappy little black dress accessorised with a black stretchy headband. Thanks to Anthony Turner on hair, Ives’ muses walked down the runway adorned with sleek black headbands, the accessory seamlessly complemented his vision of modern elegance and sophistication. Meanwhile, Lucy Bridge gave models blonde lashes – similar to the ones seen at Sinéad O’Dwyer – which contrasted nicely with the pale blue eyeshadow. 

Meanwhile, at SRVC AW24, the black stretchy headband took on a more eclectic and playful role, appearing on models as they traded a traditional runway to two iconic London red buses. Paired with vibrant prints and eclectic textures from the ‘Human Resource’ collection, the headbands served as the perfect finishing touch by Karim Belghiran. Bridge was once again on make-up, where she created statement eye looks in pastel shades of blue and deep reds

BOLD STATEMENT LIPS 

A bold lip has always been a classic way to make a loud beauty statement, adding an extra layer of narrative to the collection. This season at JW Anderson, the models were transformed into glamorous grandmas with an orange-red lip paired with grey wigs courtesy of Turner. 

“It’s all about hyper-opposites this season. You have hyper-strong beauty against raw tough beauty,” explains lead make-up artist Lynsey Alexander who worked with make-up brand Merit on the looks. For the red-orange lip, she used the shade Vermillion from the new Signature Matte range. “Half of the girls had this stamped-on red bold mouth, it was quite an anti-glam mouth,” she says. “It was not about a red carpet or sort of a pretty red. It was a hardcore sci-fi red. They had these grey wigs and we went for this orange stamped-on anti-glam mouth. No mascara, groomed brows.” 

British designer Molly Goddard also took her turn at a statement lip this season. As London’s favourite master of tulle and ruffles, Goddard’s AW24 collection took inspiration from a plethora of things including 1960s Cristobal Balenciaga gowns, eBay watchlists and creating textured designs. For the looks, models were seen wearing layered statement red lips, done by make-up artist Lisa Eldridge, adding to the collection’s heavy focus on shape and texture.