R AVE ON
Beauty dances to an off-kilter beat as Club Kids, counter-culture, and the underground scene steal the spotlight. By Aisha Hassan.
In his hit song “Rave On”, Buddy Holly sings: “Rave on, it’s a crazy feelin’/And I know it’s got me reelin’,” celebrating the delirium and frenzy of something you never want to end. Holly became an icon of rock ’n’ roll in the late ’50s, and when the Berlin Wall went up in 1961, it was this outlawed genre that infiltrated the East Berlin underground music scene as youths raved, on and on and uncontrollably, to music that gave them freedom. That sort of rebellion—dancing bodies, relentless rhythm, and a place to let go—has never died. Psychedelic artists of the ’60s, New York Club Kids of the ’80s and ’90s, all dressed in millennial flair, emerged vibrantly and fabulously in this season’s beauty. Rainbow dreads at Marc Jacobs and a cobalt blue Pomeranian at Manish Arora were as loud as the fascination—and controversies—they caused. Subversion was the reigning theme, and it didn’t have a set rhythm.
DON’T STOP MOVIN’
Raving isn’t always mad. Nowadays, the term might be better associated with golden-limbed partygoers in Ibiza, or perspiring and fist-pumping enthusiasts at Tomorrowland. In fact, it’s all about music and the underground scene, since the modern “rave” grew out of the acid house movement in the ’80s, when clubs would be heaving with edgy, anti-establishment types (many still are).
In this vein, Olympia Le-Tan housed her show at the Rex Club in Paris, one of the city’s oldest techno joints. As leggy models prepared by the DJ booth, a sign encouraged: “Fun nightclub attitude, girls!” Bedraggled hair, bright liner, and colourful spheres above the brow bone—a festival staple—were the order of the day. The look matched clothing printed with graphics from prominent ’60s artists such as Rick Griffin and Martin Sharp. The pulsating show recalled the popularity of psychedelic drugs during the period, and the even more overarching concept of escapism, which often takes centre stage with club music. “I wanted to integrate today’s counterculture,” Le-Tan explained.
WHO’S THAT CHICK?
The beauty at Marc Jacobs was also nothing short of show-stopping—and controversial. For the set, Stefan Beckman built a slicked, elevated stage and strung thousands of little lights above for a “clubby vibe”. The standout factor was web-sourced dreadlocks by Jena Counts, styled by Guido Palau, who explained, “We were looking at girls that were inspiring to Marc, and certain types of cultures, like rave culture, club culture, acid house,