Milan Fashion Week is now well underway and from the collections appearing down the runways, next summer looks set to be a colourful one. Colour is great especially in spring and summer and it works perfectly with colourful makeup.

More colour on display for the Antonio Marras collection. Photo: Caroline Paris

A couple of seasons ago, visiting backstage during fashion week meant constantly hearing the words 'minimal' and ‘no makeup’. Excited doesn’t begin to describe the emotion I felt this season when visiting two great designers backstage, meeting the MAC Cosmetics team and seeing lots and lots of colour.

Antonio Marras is one of the most creative designers around. His collections don’t just tell a story, they describe a world full of emotions. For this season, the designer was inspired by Fellini and his muse Giulietta Masina, Fellini’s “Giulietta Degli Spiriti,” which starred Masina as the basic base for the collection.

READ: The creative art of fashion

The story is about a woman who seeks her own independence after believing her husband to be unfaithful. The show was not a fashion show but a fashion production featuring all manners of actors from models, to an aerial artist on a swing, to a band. The models themselves referenced different stereotypes from different walks of lives.

The pieces themselves are creative and colourful, with the MAC Cosmetics Backstage team creating different makeup looks to work with the different outfits. Bright blue eyes were paired with a blue and white striped creation, rust and bright green eyes paired with earth colours and lots more. Each look featured a degree of complexity with different textures, and layers all working to complement each other. There was also a variety of proportions within the collection, from voluminous skirts to super tight-waisted ones.

Colour everywhere. Photo: Kurt Paris

MISSONI is a brand that has always been synonymous with colour and patterns, and its collection reflected that. This year Angela celebrates 20 years as director of the brand. It was great to look around and see so many guests wearing both old and new pieces from the brand. The collection presented, included both female and male pieces. There was colour everywhere along with the brand’s iconic patterns and motifs. A harmony of different shapes and lines, for the womenswear in soft pastels from pink to dusty azure, intermixed with lurex. There was a degree of sensual femininity presented in low necklines, long halterneck dresses and fitted waists, there were also masculine style long pull-overs in multicolour patterns.

For the makeup look MAC Cosmetics used acrylic paints to create a vivid winged eye colour. This really came to life on the catwalk complementing without overpowering the colourful clothing. This was paired with a choice of a light pink lip or bright orange. The colourful eyes complemented the pieces.

For more fashion news and tips, check out the Caroline Fashion Styling blog.