Retro Curls, Black Cherry Lips, & More Top Beauty Trends From Milan Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week is a distant memory at this point, and London’s fashion-forward romp is *so* yesterday — because the industry’s biggest it girls have touched down in Milan, Italy. This next leg of fashion month formally kicked off on Sept. 17 and will continue through Sept. 23.
One thing every fashionable week has in common is that the beauty looks are truly next-level — and Milan has continued to push the boundaries of glamour with its endlessly creative (and seriously out-there) moments on the runway.
New. York City’s shows featured both effortless and maximalist punk makeup moments, with terracotta-hued “blonzers” and chromatic eyes a couple of the most-loved trends. London, on the other hand, was a sea of cool girl hairstyles, with oversized metal-studded ribbons and doll-like coquette updos taking centerstage.
As for Milan? While quite a few runways were expectedly minimal, the glam teams did take some serious risks: think alien-esque eye contacts, Marilyn Monroe-inspired platinum blonde curls, and mod polka dots all over the models’ skin, to name just a few standout examples.
If you’re in need of some major inspo, here are the 10 best beauty trends to come out of Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2025.
1. Otherworldly Eye Contacts
Not only did Diesel’s textured silver runway look like it was from another planet, but each model’s eyes were covered in colorful contacts that made them look like (incredibly stylish) aliens. Their otherworldly gazes were the star of the show, too, as their makeup and hair were kept subdued by comparison.
2. Retro Marilyn Monroe Curls
At Dolce & Gabbana’s Milan show, one thing is certain: Marilyn Monroe was definitely on the mood board. Adding a retro flair to each look, the models all wore a platinum blonde wig with voluminous curls akin to the late icon, adding a touch of modernity with ’90s-era wide headbands hiding their roots.
3. Glossy Black Cherry Lips
Although many of Prada’s models wore a simple layer of the clear Prada Lip Balm, a handful wore a deep, plum-colored matte lip color with a gorgeous glossy finish. Hello, “black cherry girl” fall.
4. Colorful Lion’s Mane Hair
Bottega Veneta chose to make a serious statement with wild and colorful wigs that might just have been inspired by a lion’s mane. What’s more, the wigs’ tones were a perfect match for their outfits, creating seamless (and fierce) looks.
5. Goth Girl Smoky Eyes
Bringing a bit of a grunge influence that was also major in both NYC and London, Dsquared2 had its models rock invisible bleached brows with super smoky eyes that gave total “goth girl” energy.
6. Softly Tousled Hair
Alberta Ferretti kept their fashion week glamour classic and minimal. Models strutted the runway with 1970s-style tousled and textured hair, which complemented the flowing frocks.
7. Mod Polka-Dotted Skin
Leave it to Moschino to bring kitschy glamour to the runway. The fashion house brought the polka dot motif from many of their garments onto the models’ skin with larger-than-life dots painted all over. There was a similar vibe on London’s Apujan runway in London, though instead with smaller polka dots painted on the face in a cherry red hue.
8. Slicked-Back Greasy Roots
Boss sent models down its springtime, greenery-filled Milan runway with day-two greasy hair that was parted down the middle and sleekly tucked behind the ears. Though a bit more grunge by nature, the hairdos felt surprisingly fresh when paired with their chic collection of workwear-appropriate garments.
9. Bold Cat Eye
Gucci kept a total focus on each model’s eyes with a bold cat-style flick and smoky lids that felt even more prominent paired with subtle neutral lips and hair pushed away from the face.
10. Extra-Long Blunt Bangs
With colorful pastel patterns and bold prints walking down the runway, Versace opted for a mauve-toned lip color and extra-long blunt bangs that created an almost cartoonish and youthful playfulness to their looks.
