Alien-Inspired Beauty Took Over Iris Van Herpen’s Couture Runway Show

After 15 years in the industry, and officially celebrating their 15th-anniversary collection, Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen is looking into the future. Her new collection imagines a world where ethereal aliens cohabitate the planet with us mortals. At the Fall Winter 2022 Couture show this past weekend, attendees were transported to a new galaxy for Meta Morphism amongst the hustle and bustle of Paris Haute Couture Week. Further experimenting with her signature 3D printing style, van Herpen also matched the collection’s multidimensional, architectural clothes with hair, makeup, and nails looks the appeared to have a life of their own.

The theme of the show explored how the body will change in the face of post-human realities (including the metaverse) and asked who we are beyond our physicality. The model’s highly detailed and dynamic-shaped white, silver, and earth-toned outfits were complemented with transhuman manicures. Created by nail artist Tomoya Nakagawa, the translucent, glowing nail art overtook their fingers, with long oval ends and jellyfish-like 3D detailing that pointed back at the top of their hands.

For makeup, Chiao Li Hsu gave models gold and silver leaves around their eyes and bleached eyebrows on an otherwise natural, dewy base. Like the intricate garments, every finer detail was futuristic, with some models walking the runway with translucent sculptures across their faces. When it came to hair, stylists Olivier Schawalder and Björn Axén channeled aquatic mythological creatures with tail-like braids across the model’s faces. Some also had their hair slicked back with crowns.

Like everything at couture week, these fantastical beauty styles are not something that can easily traverse from the runway into daily wear. But there’s no doubt that the Iris van Herpen show has us looking ahead and excited for the future of beauty. Whether it’s mythological hair or ethereal nails, we could all benefit from inserting some more imagination into our beauty routines. With that in mind, expect to see more space-age, transparent manicures, 3D nail art, and experimental braids coming soon.