The spring 2026 collections in Milan were accompanied by some standout hair and beauty looks. At Dolce Gabbana, it was all about a classic feline eyeliner flick, while the mood at Prada and Tod’s suggests hair gel is set to make a comeback.
Here, Vogue outlines five key beauty trends spied on the runways at Milan Fashion Week.
The feline flick is back
Winged eyeliner was spotted at several shows during Milan Fashion Week. Rather than being fluffed and fuzzed out as we’ve seen in the past, this season, the eyeliner was precise and on point. Dolce Gabbana’s makeup team focused on crafting an “impeccable, luminous complexion,” finished with a flawless lip and an elongated cat-eye that barely grazed the temples. Smoked-out and ultra-thin winged eyeliner also featured at Blumarine, The Attico, and Durazzi, while makeup maestro Pat McGrath showcased a soft and sultry version at Bottega Veneta.
Slicked to the max
According to Prada, hair gel is making a comeback. Legendary hairstylist Guido Palau constructed a practical, effortlessly chic, and simple look that was pinned into a delicate pattern at the back for models with longer hair and left loose at the nape of the neck for the rest. At Tod’s, wet-look strands did all the talking.
Teased chic
The memo at Max Mara? The higher the hair, the closer to fashion heaven. Taking inspiration from Madame De Pompadour, each model’s poofed bun was secured with a black vintage hairband. Romantic, fluttery French twists that flipped over the forehead were the order of the day at Giorgio Armani, and headscarves the late Queen Elizabeth II would have approved of appeared in Demna’s Gucci look book.
Focal point beauty
The beauty looks on several runways were built around a single statement detail. Giuseppe Di Morabito set statement makeup to one side, in favor of cascading tears made of pearls. At Sportmax, makeup was stripped back, save for the occasional blurry plum lip. And the models at Moschino fluttered gold lashes as they walked the runway.
Windswept waves
Effortless and undone hair was also a theme of the runways, in positive news for anyone reluctant to experiment with gel. Guido was backstage at Versace, creating voluminous side-swept lengths, whereas Damien Boissinot created a wind-swept look at Roberto Cavalli. Concluding the mussed-up hair parade was MM6 Maison Margiela.
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