For Alexa Chung visit to the Burberry Spring/Summer ‘26 show at London Fashion Week, she wanted to reference an icon: Lauren Hutton. There’s something about Hutton’s look that embodies effortless elegance, think chic NY apartment, morning-after hair, and that ‘I woke up like this’ glamour that’s as relevant now as it was in the seventies. But for Burberry, I wanted to give that energy a contemporary nod: a touch moodier, slightly undone, but still polished and modern.
The Inspiration: Effortless Elegance, The Lauren Hutton Way
It’s always fun reinterpreting vintage muses for a new era. Lauren Hutton’s open, natural, and lightly undone beauty feels as cool on today’s runways as it did in 70s Vogue. But for a show like Burberry, usually crisp, directional, and a bit rebellious, I felt her makeup should have a sharper edge. The answer? Match softness and depth: a story told in grey and brown, two shades that if handled poorly could feel muddy, but done right, ultra-modern.
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Eyes: Grey, Graphite, and Sculpted Smoke
People sometimes shy away from grey and brown together, assuming they’ll clash or dull each other down. But with makeup, nuance is everything. For Alexa’s eyes, I started by tightlining with a steel-grey pencil, a small detail that instantly makes the lash line more defined and gives eyes a strong but not overwhelming frame. Next, I built outwards using a veil of slate shadow, softly diffused to keep the mood light, before deepening and warming the look with a chocolate brown shade on the outer corners.
TOP TIP: I took the lower lash line a few shades deeper, blending the colour slightly downwards. The result? A sculpted, slightly graphic smoulder that’s more modern-it-girl than 60s icon.
Statement Lips: Why Brown Has a Moment
For the lips, I wanted to break away from the obvious red or nude, fashion week is always about stretching those boundaries. A dark taupe pencil gave Alexa’s lips a crisp, defined edge, which I feathered into a rich tobacco brown through the centre. This instantly felt more runway than a daytime nude, and brought a grounded sophistication to the whole face.
TOP TIP: The key to avoiding flatness with browns on the lip? Texture. I finished with a dab of moisture in the centre of the lips (any hydrating balm or light gloss will do). It’s details like this that stop a strong brown lip from reading too retro or too heavy.
Skin: Balancing Edginess With Radiance
A grey and brown palette can easily tip into looking stark unless the complexion stays bright and fresh. I kept Alexa’s skin glowy and lively with a soft peachy blush brushed over the high points, think about the points you naturally flush after a brisk walk and a light veil of highlighter on the tops of the cheekbones, cupid’s bow, and down the nose.
The Kit List
● Eyes: Dior mono shadow in a deeper brown, applied outer corner + underneath; Slate-grey eyeliner to tightline; Grey eyeshadow washed across lid.
● Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette: The Neutrals
● Cheeks: Merit blush for a soft, fresh flush.
● Lips: Rare Beauty for moisture and depth, paired with Anastasia Beverly Hills taupe lip liner.
● Skin: Dior Maximiser Glow Forever, swept across face for a natural radiance.
● Brows: Anastasia Brow Pencil to frame Alexa’s natural shape.
The finished look summed up what I love most about beauty for fashion week: referencing the past, but rewriting it for right now. Alexa wore it with that cool, undone Burberry mood.
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