Less was more with slicked back wet hair and clean makeup becoming a symbol of power, confidence - and sustainability
This season marked the first time A. Røge Hove presented autumn/winter in front of an expecting audience at the Danish fashion capital. With heaps of surprises, the label took its now characteristic take on knits and delivered pieces that had viewers enamoured. On top of this, there was something else that was ever-so-alluring, the simple, yet intriguing hair the models sported down the runway.
“I wanted to make an effortless, yet powerful, hairstyle that really let the faces of the diverse cast shine through,” explains Josephine Mai, head hair artist for the show. “I wanted to show that you can achieve a great look with very few products to give more focus on sustainability within beauty.” For Mai, it’s about being creative with the products one already owns at home instead of buying tons of new products that only work for one thing. Preach.
Photo: Christabelle Beaudry
“Since the collection sculpts around the body of those who wear it, I aimed to create an aligned look that would compliment each of the model’s faces,” she continues. As for her key to achieve the perfect slicked-back, wet-hair? A good scalp. “Most people care a lot about their hair, but very little about their scalp. It's definitely about time to look more into scalp health.” First in her arsenal was Monpure’s Hydrate and Soothe Scalp Serum to moisturise the skin on top of our heads. After that, a conditioner (any one will do) was responsible for getting that wet-yet-controlled look. The front of the head was styled with a wide tooth comb and locked in with hairspray. "The trick is to use low volumes of product, but just enough to make it stay,” she finishes.
As for the makeup, lead makeup artist Regitze Krabbe worked to complement Mai's work. “The initial inspiration was taken from the look Mai had created, slicked and slightly glossy. Then Amalie said that she wanted a healthy look, and mentioned the word “mature”. From this I came up with this natural, healthy, moist skin with blush high on the cheekbones to define and make it the elegant version of the classic no-makeup-makeup look.”
Photo: Christabelle Beaudry
With the storyline being of a woman on her way somewhere, with the chilly air adding colour to her cheeks and the possibility that she just had to run in order to avoid being late, Krabbe created this persona of a cool woman that looks great and always becomes the centre of attention — even if she’s a little disheveled.
“I find so much inspiration in Amalie’s clothes. It is this perfect Venn diagram of classic, elegant shapes, the coziness of the knit and the sexiness of the see-through elements,” adds Krabbe. “To me that’s modern and relevant for the time we live in. I wanted the makeup to reflect this, just adding to it, while being understated.”