Dries Van Noten Offers a Fresh Twist on a Classic Red Clip

March 03, 2021 | 06:39pm

A blurred red lip, done many different ways, was the single beauty statement worn by the cast of Dries Van Noten's fall film.

Dries Van Noten Offers a Fresh Twist on a Classic Red Clip

"It's real movements, it's real emotions," Dries Van Noten told Vogue of his Fall 2021 short film, which featured models and dancers performing onstage at the deSingel theater in Antwerp. In keeping with the same senses of motion and realness, a blurred red lip, done many different ways, was the single beauty statement worn by the cast as they danced out the emotions of the past year in slouchy suits and satin slip-dresses.

“When you kiss the whole night, your lipstick goes a little bit outside the lines,” explains makeup artist Inge Grognard, who, in riffing on the lack of human touch in lockdown, translated the show’s pure emotion into an array of stunning, soft-focus red pouts paired with raw complexions. From brick red to salmon pink to deep crimson, each shade was a softer alternative to a classic bold lip and tailored to complement each model's skin tone. After precisely layering on pigment with a lip brush, Grognard blended a soft pencil along the edges to slightly "blur" outside the contours, then added a slick of heavy clear gloss.

A more muted, lived-in vinyl red lip not only feels fresher than an opaque, full-coverage one, but is entirely fitting for the times, whether it's mask-friendly makeup—or a night of passion—you so desire. As far as Grognard is concerned, it's the latter. As she says, "To kiss, to express, to take somebody in your arms, it represents everything that is forbidden now."