“It’s a strong look, but at the same time a fragile look,” says makeup artist Peter Philips of the gentle beauty look he created for Christian Dior’s fall 2023 haute couture show. Within the manicured gardens of Musée Rodin, where models bustle backstage in various stages of preparation, the approach to beauty is a study in restraint. The makeup is intentionally “very pure,” says Philips, without sparkling pearlescence or dramatic contouring. “It’s at the level of a couture show,” he says. “It doesn’t look too raw or too punky—there’s a luxury feeling to it.”
The hair is sewn into place by hand, sometimes adding extensions to create the necessary length, and several artists surround each model to support the process. According to Palau, the classic style speaks to the collection’s spirit of connection. “Whenever you do a braid, it’s this monumental thing,” he says of its emotive qualities. “Everyone understands a braid—our grandmothers had braids, the braid has a lot of connotations to it: It’s always kind of feminine and romantic.”