The Italians do glamour incredibly well. The smokey eye, the statement lip, the expensive-looking blow-dry – it’s a tried and tested formula that we’re never tired of seeing at Milan Fashion Week. But, this season, we were more than surprised by the experimental looks that graced the catwalks. Acid hues, bright pinks, flipped ponytails, flat centre-parted hair and more feature below in our cherry-picked selection of the best looks of the week. 

We’re more than sure you’ll want to copy them come autumn…

Silver Eyes

Seen at: Fendi, Emporio Armani, Tommy Hilfiger

Unless you’re blessed to look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed all year round, a swipe of silvery white eyeshadow on the inner corners of the eyes will do the trick. It’s a technique used by make-up artists to illuminate and enliven the whole face and is so simple to copy. 

At Fendi, the look was ethereal and haunting, while at Armani and Tommy Hilfiger, silver was used to ensure the smokey look that adorned the models’ eyes wasn’t too heavy or dark.

Centre Parting

Seen at: Alberta Ferretti, Versace, Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini

Parting the hair at the centre offers instant chicness and is so easy to replicate. Wear sleek, straight and down as seen at Versace and Alberta Ferretti, or up in a twisted bun like at Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini, where lead hair stylist Duffy was inspired by the strong yet vulnerable beauty of Margaux Hemingway. Hair was made to look wet as if each model had just climbed out of the pool, parted her hair and twisted it up, allowing little wisps to escape. “This look adds a strength and edginess to the prettiness of the models and of the collection,” said Duffy. 

Ponytails Reimagined

Seen at: Sportmax, Jil Sander

There aren’t many ways you can switch up a ponytail, right? Wrong. The models at Sportmax and Jil Sander showcased the new way to wear the classic pony for this season and beyond. Imagine you’re putting your hair up into a traditional ponytail. Instead of looping it through for the last time, stop a quarter of the way through so that you’re left with a loop sticking out and the rest of the hair falling loose in more of a flat ponytail style. 

Add texture and definition to the lengths and ends with a texturising paste to recreate the look at Sportmax, or braid the ‘loose’ hair as seen at Jil Sander.

Crystal Power

Seen at: Prada

We’re going mad over crystals right now. They’re making their way into our water bottles, therapy sessions and even our skincare, so it stands to reason that we’d see them on the catwalk too. 

At Prada, lead make-up artist Pat McGrath sent models down the runway with a graphic, brightly coloured gradient cat eye, which was accented with clear crystals. McGrath used the Pat McGrath Labs MTHRSHP Subversive: La Vie En Rose palette, defining the lash line with a mix of the Purple Reign and Rose Risqué shades. She then buffed the powders out into a wing, which she then topped with a sprinkle of Swarovski crystals.

Acid Brights

Seen at: Annakiki, Salvatore Ferragamo

Another daring trend sprung forth at Milan Fashion Week: acid brights. At Annakiki, models wore a range of bright shades, such as canary yellow and citrine green on their lips. 

At Ferragamo there was a riot of technicolour shades on lashes and similar colours were used to line the eyes, while extreme pink blush was the order of the day at Vivetta.

Images: REX