5 Major Beauty Trends Spotted at London Fashion Week

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Brett Russell

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The fall 2025 collections in London brought us hair and beauty that embraced nostalgia, while simultaneously championing innovation. Chet Lo showcased the glossiest early noughties-inspired crimping, while Harris Reed unveiled incredible exaggerated eyelashes. Elevated braids were also major talking points at Dilara Fındıkoğlu, Labrum, and Annie’s Ibiza, as were the wispy bangs at Tolu Coker, and color pop brows at Simone Rocha.

Vogue breaks down five key beauty trends spotted on the fall 2025 runways in London.

Retro crimps and curls

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Backstage at Chet Lo.

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For those who assumed that the Y2K trend had come and gone, rest assured that elements of the era are still snaking their way into the hairdos of the forthcoming year. At Chet Lo, hairstylist Anna Cofone unveiled crimped manes, continuing the use of “patterns and panels from previous seasons that mimic the textures in Chet’s clothes.” Rather than crimping the entire hair, Cofone deliberately focused on sections at the back—and for some models, the sides—for a fresh take on the style. “Chet is inspired by his Chinese-American heritage,” Cofone shares, “and we explored the idea of the hair resembling origami…Where the hair looks like it has been delicately folded.”

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At the Tolu Coker presentation.

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The ’80s hair at Richard Quinn was further proof of the enduring appetite for retro styles, ditto the ’70s powerhouse curls spied at the Tolu Coker presentation. Hairstylist Efi Davies wanted to bring an air of elegance to the nostalgic look. “You can see within the shapes of the cut that we didn’t want to go for something too overpowering, but rather, a style that makes you feel graceful and beautiful,” she shares.

“The double-knotted updo at the back was kept cool and face-framing, with a thinner fringe, which is a trend that we have seen a lot recently. We also put a roller under the hair to create a bouncy silhouette, to really highlight the gorgeous facial features of each model.”

Elevated braids

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Backstage at Annie’s Ibiza.

Brett Russell

The elevated braids at Annie’s Ibiza saw guests transported back a few centuries: “We were inspired by renaissance paintings and drawings,” hairstylist Sam Mcknight explains. Chunky braids on the side of each model’s head to mimic horns emphasized the elfin quality of the beauty look. The team used lots of McKnight’s signature Dressed To Kill product, as well as Self Control Gel to keep the style glossy and secure.

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Backstage at Labrum.

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Labrum, meanwhile, took afro-textured hairstyling to new heights with a series of looks inspired by traditional West African references. Hairstylist Nick Irwin led with his own take on exaggerated Bantu knots—also seen at Abigail Ajobi’s off schedule show—as well as classic cornrows and synthetic braids. The result was fresh and grounded in realism, rather than too outré.

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Backstage at Dilara Fındıkoğlu.

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Dilara Fındıkoğlu ditched traditional hair accessories for molten-looking pieces of metal resembling a set of retro over-the-ear headphones adorned with pearls. Braids mimicked the internal speakers while shimmering hair tinsel completed the futuristic vibe. This was the work of hairstylists Eugene Souleiman and Kevin Murphy. Other braids seen on the runway included messy, pulled out pigtails and tiny face-framing plaits.

Flashes of color

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Backstage at Harris Reed.

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At Harris Reed, models walked the runway fluttering exaggerated blue, gold, and jet black false eyelashes. Sofia Tilbury kept the base looking dewy, fresh and neutral to really allow those lashes to stand out. More pops of color were seen at Simone Rocha, where make-up artist Thomas de Kluyver created shiny red, pink, and black eyebrows, combined with brown lipstick, and a swipe of blusher. Elsewhere at Mark Fast, red lip theory became plum lip theory. Each model wore a deep purple gloss coupled with a black smoky eye.

Flowy, tousled hair

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Backstage at SS Daley.

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Styling your hair for a spontaneous night out this winter will require a lot less thought. At SS Daley, Anna Cofone created looks with a “lived-in texture, but [that] were still quite structured and contained with some definition.” The Authentic Beauty Concept Nymph Salt Spray was used to prep the hair, and then the natural waves and kinks of the hair were accentuated with the Working Hairspray. Just before the models were sent down the runway, Cofone touched up with the Airy Texture Spray to create natural movement, so “it looked like they’d been wearing the hair for around two days and were all emerging from a night out.”

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Backstage at Erdem.

Photographed by Acielle / Style Du Monde

Erdem featured another effortlessly mussed up hair look by Cofone. “We created a no-product hair look, akin to the no-make-up trend,” she said. “Models had hair casually tucked behind the ears, some with lots of texture, and others with minimal texture.” Variations on the same style were also spied at Burberry to close out London Fashion Week.

The naked manicure

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Backstage at Burberry.

Photographed by Acielle / Style Du Monde

The models at Paolo Carzana, Jawara Alleyne, Sinéad O’Dwyer, and Burberry all had squeaky clean, bare nails. Any polish that snuck its way onto the runway was sheer and shimmery, or a classic, subtle French. Naked manicures are here to stay. The dabs of color, it seems, were reserved only for the face this season.