Spring Forecast

The girlish flush migrated north, thanks to flashes of pink placed high on cheeks. Spotted at: Jonathan Saunders, Versace, Kenzo, Narciso Rodriguez. Pat McGrath created a polished yet artsy look for Jonathan Saunders by applying an iridescent pink blush that bled from eyelids to upper cheeks and temples, a nod to the designer’s own bold and unorthodox way with color. She played with a more pared-down palette at Versace, sweeping a pretty pale pink across the tops of models’ cheekbones to top off what she called a “high luxury face.” At Kenzo, Charlotte Tilbury brushed a shimmering rose just under models’ eyes, a romantic departure from the usual cheek contouring and a fitting accompaniment to the collection’s dreamy Alice in Wonderland theme. “It creates a look that is fresh and youthful, which also naturally lifts the face,” Tilbury said.

Golds and silvers popped up in the most unusual places. Spotted at: Donna Karan, Oscar de la Renta, Rodarte, Behnaz Sarafpour. Traditionally Paris and Milan have had the market cornered when it comes to outré beauty looks. This season, however, New York bested the European catwalks with an offbeat use of metallic materials. Tilbury dabbed silver shadow on the inner corner of the eye at Donna Karan, adding an angelic touch to a silver and chocolate brown lid. On Oscar de la Renta’s runway, pink cheeks shone with a metallic cast, an eerie addition to the smoky dark brown and gold eyes that McGrath created. Backstage she explained, “Oscar wanted a mysterious look.” Rodarte ditched the metallic powders in favor of pure gold and silver foil, which hairstylist Odile Gilbert affixed to models’ buns for a very space-age effect.

Elaborate rolled hairstyles came in both feminine and structural forms. Spotted at: Carolina Herrera, Chanel, Chado Ralph Rucci, Catherine Malandrino, 3.1 Phillip Lim. For Carolina Herrera’s ladylike collection, Orlando Pita fashioned a wispy ring of hair around the head for a look that was prim yet regal. At Chanel, Gilbert tied sections of hair, as if they were shoelaces, at the nape of the neck, creating a bundle of “bows” that complemented the collection’s girlish ruffles and genteel tweeds. “It’s chic but cute at the same time,” she said of her handiwork. To match the subtle Japanese influences behind Chado Ralph Rucci’s collection, Laurent Philippon sewed an elegant, lacquered loop close to the head with a needle and thread, fashioning a look that resembled meticulous origami. “It’s couture sumo wrestler,” he joked.

Always popular bed-head hair veered away from the romantic in favor of more suggestive styles. Spotted at: Yohji Yamamoto, L’Wren Scott, Fendi, Marc Jacobs, Narciso Rodriguez, Peter Som, Vera Wang, Zac Posen, Alexander Wang. “It’s Miss Marple meets Catherine Deneuve,” joked Eugene Souleiman of the lived-in, mussed-up tufts he created for Yohji Yamamoto, which he cryptically described as both “baggy and sensual.” Serge Normant teased hair into equally seductive wavy masses to complement L’Wren Scott’s signature rock ’n’ roll aesthetic. “That raw texture always feels sexy,” he gushed. At Fendi, Kamo’s tousled spikes stood on end, which lent a punk edge to the collection’s sheer separates.

Pink and peach may be spring runway staples, but unseasonable cerise lips were surprisingly prominent. Spotted at: Michael Kors, Proenza Schouler, Alberta Ferretti, Dior, Jonathan Saunders, Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, Nina Ricci, Thakoon. Despite the distinctly warm-weather styles (bathing suits included) on Michael Kors’s runway, Dick Page described the true red lip and slight sunburn he created for the show as “après-ski.” At Proenza Schouler, Diane Kendal cited Rosie the Riveter as her muse. To emulate wartime glamour, she gave skin a glossy finish and layered neon red and pink powders over a greasy cherry lip. For a more muted look, Lucia Pieroni swiped a burgundy shade on girls’ pouts at Alberta Ferretti— an elegant and seemingly autumnal choice.

Subtle touches took ponytails from youthful to sophisticated. Spotted at: Issey Miyake, Badgley Mischka, Jil Sander, Louis Vuitton, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Versace. To show off Issey Miyake’s high necklines, Kazunori Miyasaka gathered stick-straight locks into posh, center-parted ponytails. Teddy Charles complemented Badgley Mischka’s uncharacteristically relaxed collection with a sleek, side-parted ponytail and smoothed down flyaways using a toothbrush misted with hairspray. To mirror the flapper-inspired fringe at Jil Sander, Didier Malige crisscrossed the top layer of each model’s hair over her ponytail, a look that elevated the simple style to new standards of chic. Of the classic look, Malige wisely remarked, “When you put a rubber band in your hair, you automatically lift what you don’t like about your face.”