PFW: At Dior, a Dash of Eyeliner & Luminous Skin Symbolized Freedom of Expression & Feminist Perseverance
A model at the Dior Fall-Winter 2025-2026 ready-to-wear show during Paris Fashion Week / Getty Images
Before the Dior Fall-Winter 2025-2026 ready-to-wear show at Paris Fashion Week got down to business, a model sat perched on a swing reminiscing about the past and the future of fashion expression — and chose evolution. That just-be-you vibe extended to the show glam, too — makeup artist Peter Philips placed just a tiny bit of eyeliner in an unusual place, and likewise, hairstylist Guido Paulo fastened ponytails unconventionally.
A Deeply Symbolic Message
Set to choreography by Robert Wilson in a venue that was more arena than theater at the Place de la Concorde, models walked through a series of cataclysmic events — the somber flight of a prehistoric bird, giant rocks, fiery, molten lava and, finally, glaciers. Words on a wall read Once Upon a Time: Now Then Now Then Now over and over, underscoring the courageous power of metamorphosis.
Maria Grazia Chiuri, Creative Director of Dior’s women’s lines, paid homage to the heritage of the French fashion house’s aesthetic and cultural form, revisiting iconic pieces synonymous with the brand — including the J’Adore Dior t-shirt signed by John Galliano — but here, in a state of deconstruction. Think tailcoats, lace, applique embroidery and sheer knee socks adorned with black velvet ribbon, all wild and free and adding the element of choice.
A model at the Dior Fall-Winter 2025-2026 ready-to-wear show during Paris Fashion Week / Getty Images
A nod to the feminist, gender-bending titular character from Virgina Woolf’s Orlando could be seen in ruffs and detachable Elizabethan collars, as well as masculine jackets paired with bustiers — a sartorial lesson in self-expression in a sometimes brutal yet often beautiful changing world.
The Makeup
To offset all this texture, Philips, the Creative and Image Director for Dior Makeup, created “a neutral luminous look with a strong but discreet accent on the eyes.” But it was the placement that made all the difference, as he highlighted just the inner corners with a stroke of black khôl liner, specifically the Diorshow On Stage Crayon in 099 Black. He paired this unexpected use of color with clean, luminous skin, which he prepped with Dior Capture Le Serum and Dior Capture Totale Hyalushot in the eye area. He then “evened out the complexion with Dior Forever Skin Perfect followed by Dior Forever Skin Correct for touch-ups,” he says.
A model at the Dior Fall-Winter 2025-2026 ready-to-wear show during Paris Fashion Week / Getty Images
The Hair
Paulo, the hair guru who consistently designs the tress take for Dior shows, created a duality of soft, feminine and also boyish looks, parted deep on one side, glossed with Zara Shine Mist and with tendrils swept across models’ foreheads to look as if they’d been windblown. Ponytails were fashioned low at the nape, with ends tucked inside collars.
A model at the Dior Fall-Winter 2025-2026 ready-to-wear show during Paris Fashion Week / Getty Images
The takeaway for the upcoming season: Anything goes, as long as you stay true to who you are in any given moment — and these moments are fluid.
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