“If Joan Crawford was Hannibal Lecter’s mistress,” was Val Garland’s description of the makeup look at Gareth Pugh.
A glossy lip and dewy skin were achieved using MAC products — Studio Waterweight Foundation and Studio Quik Trik Stik in Tight and the new Tawny to contour — with clear Lipglass used in the lineup for extra sheen.
Eyes were bare and Garland created a severe brushed-up brow with theatrical glue. But it wouldn’t be a Pugh show without something a little more off-key. This element came in the shape of a piece of American tan stocking secured behind the ears and pulled tight under the nose and cheekbones — “so it looked as if the girl had a face full of filler,” she said, “painfully gorgeous — like a Forties mannequin in a shop window advertising Ponds Cold Cream.”
For hair, the character was a power woman with an attaché case, said hairstylist Malcolm Edwards working with L’Oréal Paris. “You don’t know if she’s carrying grenades, drugs or dollars,” he mused.
He caked the lengths in Studio Pro Boost It Volume Extra Strong Hairspray before splitting them into two sections and pushing each into a length of tubing, connecting the ends and winding then into a U shape on the head. He finished the look with Lock It Fixing Hairspray.