Harris Reed’s spring/summer 2025 show marked the official beginning of London Fashion Week, and the dawn of next year’s make-up and hair trend forecast. From architectural lace-adorned gowns to up-cycled 19th-century French tapestries, the collection was a carefully curated array of exaggerated hips, corseted waists and, of course, an ethereal array of storytelling beauty looks, courtesy of Charlotte Tilbury.

“The inspiration for the show this season started with materials; everything was found materials, from home furnishings, headboards, damask curtains and tablecloths,” Reed tells Harper’s Bazaar UK. “Every silhouette came to life based on this idea of existing objects and reimagining them within the demi-couture world of Harris Reed. We took pointers and inspirations from the past couple of seasons, this idea of romanticism, Victoriana, bringing in theatrics. It was about championing this idea of upcycling in a really glamorous, elevated and elegant way.”

Reed’s main influence? The same city that hosts his theatrical runways each and every season, plus a selection of its unique residents. “London, for me, is a space I dreamt about as a young kid, looking through the pages of magazines and newspapers for early Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen shows,” says Reed. “Theatre is such a fundamental part of London. I have people like Erin O’Connor that I always look to [for inspiration] because she embodies that unapologetic way of being a character that I think is so rare in today’s world. I look at Deborah Shaw, a model that I’ve admired for so many years, as a massive muse of mine.”

For Reed, beauty and fashion go hand-in-hand, with visions of make-up and hair being formed in synchronicity with the garment’s design. “I always try to illustrate the designs with hats and with some kind of make-up, because I think it plays such an important role,” he says. “At Harris Reed, we don’t just make clothes, we make characters. Make-up is so fundamental in all of that because it really takes the wear into a whole space. It really helps people transport themselves into the character that they need to play.”

For the SS25 collection, titled ‘Encore’, Reed worked closely with the make-up artist Sofia Schwarzkopf-Tilbury, who used a range of Charlotte Tilbury products to create the nineties-meets-19th-century porcelain doll aesthetic. Think fluttering, clustered eyelashes, washes of eyeshadow in icy blue and warm tangerine shades, and tiny rose-bud lipstick shapes. “When it comes to designing the make-up look for Harris’ shows, I get to see the collection beforehand, which really kick-starts my creative thinking,” explains Schwarzkopf-Tilbury. “His designs have such an unmistakable presence in the room and a unique architecture that reflects how much of a visionary he is.”

“For this iconic show, we wanted to create a make-up look that spoke to the 19th-century French silhouettes that Harris was inspired by for this season, while using bright colours and opulent textures captured in the wide-eyed blue and orange eyes and doll-like lips.

“I’ve always been so fascinated and in awe of that otherworldly fantasy he creates.”

To create the look, Schwarzkopf-Tilbury directed the focus to the models’ eyes. Charlotte’s Exagger-Eyes Volume Mascara was used to create a bold, pinched lash, while the illusion of doll-like lips were sketched out using Charlotte’s Lip Cheat liner in the natural tonal shades Pillow Talk Deep, Foxy Brown or Iconic Nude. For the finishing touch, she layered a mirror-shine glaze gloss in the centre of the lips using the Collagen Lip Bath in Refresh Rose.

While the theatrical look may not be suited to everyday wear, the make-up artist notes that its individual elements are a foreshadowing of the looks to come this season. “I think we’ll be seeing a lot of bold statement eyes with vibrant washes of both matte and metallic colour across the lids, plus lashings of mascara.”