The Place Vendôme in Paris is not the most obvious—nor the easiest—choice of location for an event showcasing countless detailed and intricate fashion and beauty looks. Still, the Vogue World: Paris runway encircled the Colonne Vendôme—a truly spectacular setting for the show, and all in a day’s work for Dame Pat McGrath and her make-up team, who conjured up statement eye looks for 200-plus models and muses that shimmered in the evening light at golden hour.
McGrath’s decade-by-decade extravaganza included her signature sparkle in the 1960s section of the show, which paired jet-set fashion by Paco Rabanne and Courrèges with fencing. The look for the eyes was “harking back to Prada and Versace runway moments,” she explains. “This is a major metallic moment, using gunmetal-grey glitter and diamanté embellishment.” Eyes were finished off with lashings of her FetishEyes Mascara for extra drama.
Other show-stopping beauty looks included nods to the French tricolor in the segment celebrating 1950s fashion and equestrian sports, and glittery disco eyes for the 1970s section (“Diana Ross was on the moodboard,” says Pat). The 1980s segment called for Grace Jones-inspired crease cut eye looks, applied using McGrath’s Mothership I: Subliminal palette.
Making the beauty stand out was not the only challenge. McGrath and her team also had to contend with the heat in Paris—welcome news for guests, less so for the make-up artists who’d labored over each elaborate eyeshadow look. Extra time was taken over every model to precisely layer products for maximum staying power. The secret weapons? Skin was kept shine-free with Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Setting Powder, while eyes were layered with Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Blurring Under-Eye Powder, to stop product from falling in the heat. Cool beauty, covered.