NYFW Beauty: It’s All About The Eyes This Spring

2 min readSep 25, 2020

Much like the end of the Fall/Winter 2020 season, the start of Spring/Summer 2021 NYFW was met with messages of uncertainty. As we continue to grapple with the effects of the pandemic, many designers decided not to show, while others used it as an opportunity to explore new formats. Those who showed did so with strict protocol and new strategies that ensured the safety of models and makeup artists alike. Despite the obstacles on hand, the Spring/Summer 2021 runway brought moments of realistic minimalism and optimistic playfulness.

It’s all about the eyes this season, and designers like Chromat and Collina Strada used this moment as an opportunity to explore individuality, presenting a gender-fluid line up of models wearing ombre eyeshadow, floating liner, and negative space cat eyes. As we adjust to our new mask-wearing reality, lead makeup artists turned to products that promise long-lasting, smudge-proof results. Erin Parsons speckled faux freckles across models faces with long-wearing liquid lipstick at Jason Wu, while Fatima Thomas blended MAC’s Pro Chromaline and Acrylic Paint for smooth, opaque, long-wearing results at Chromat.

Escapism took many forms this season. At Collina Strada, Tomihiro Kono created custom pastel, tie-dyed wigs by layering chunky pieces with finger waves. Then, for the Christian Cowan and Lil Nas X collaboration, hairstylist Evanie Frausto created an array of punkish wigs with gravity-defying mohawks and braided hair sculptures.

Keep reading for a closer look at the makeup and hair trends spotted on the Spring/Summer 2021 runway.