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Today’s Prada autumn/winter 2022 runway was stacked with familiar faces. Kaia Gerber made a major return to the runway. Kendall Jenner debuted her new flame red hair. Euphoria star Hunter Schafer closed the show. One thing each of them, along with the rest of the model line-up, had in common was their futuristic chignons, crafted by hairstylist Guido Palau.
In conceptualising the look with Prada’s co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, “minimalism” was the word that kept coming up. “In the ’90s, up-dos were a way to minimalise,” says Palau of the decade’s penchant for tossed-up-and-back hair, an inclination that ultimately inspired the show’s look. To give the sleek up-dos a “classic, yet modern” effect, Palau kept the shape architectural and the finish lacquered across all textures, for a decidedly futuristic feel.
To create the look, Palau first blow dried the hair smooth with help from Oribe’s Straight Away Smoothing cream, or enhanced natural curls with a combination of Pattern’s Curl Gel and moisturising Styling Cream, before twisting lengths upward, teasing the hair at the crown, and rolling the hair into itself horizontally, moulding it and blasting it with Bumble and bumble Bb. Strong Finish Firm Hold hairspray to ultra-taut effect. “The simplicity, and that heavily lacquered-down feeling was very key to the look,” says Palau. “If I’d made it more ornate, the hair would feel much older.”
“They wanted the make-up to feel futuristic,” explained legendary pro, Pat McGrath, of this season’s starkly natural vision. This translated to naturally-enhanced glowing complexions with sweeps of taupe eyeshadow across the lids, soft swirls of warm pink blush on the cheeks, and highlighter pressed on the top of the cheekbones, bridge of the nose, centre of the skin, and the Cupid’s bow. “It’s surreal skin adorned with illumination, but with a modern edge,” says McGrath.
The title of today’s collection was “Ideology of Prada” and this season’s beauty combination — a strong, streamlined up-do worn with fresh, minimal make-up — embodied this theme alongside the collection's equally referential white tank tops, boxy power suiting, and textured midi-skirts.
