From the Runway to the Capitol

From lace-hooded dresses to colorful coifs and makeup tattoos, we scouted out the runway looks that would make any resident of the Capitol drool with desire.

-Bronwyn Barnes

Alexis Mabille
French designer Alexis Mabille went mad for monochrome when he presented his Spring 2012 couture collection. Each model's face was painted to match the rainbow-bright shade of her ensemble, an oversized tissue flower in the corresponding hue perched upon her head.

Coral-hued lace and seashell-trimmed platforms transformed the models into chic underwater creatures as they walked the runway in the label's spring collection. The delicate headpieces provided a finishing touch that was both futuristic and quintessentially feminine.

Presented as a tribute to Amy Winehouse, Gaultier's couture catwalk buzzed with a retro 50s vibe. Those looks that weren't a literal translation of Winhouse's aesthetic, like this electric blue crepe dress, still channeled the singer's signature bouffant hairstyle and thick cat-eye liner.

To complement the architectural quality of this ensemble from Dior's Fall 2011 couture collection, famed makeup artist Pat McGrath created a modern goddess eye makeup look with iridescent paillettes, sequins and metallic silver liner. Hairstylist Orlando Pita used a combination of soft waves and teased tresses to construct a high-volume disco blow-out.

To evoke the Paris meets Bombay theme of his annual Metiers d'Art collection, Karl Lagerfeld took classic Chanel tweed over the top with ornate jewelry, faux facial piercings, dreadlocked hairstyles and super-smoky eye makeup.

Inspired by the life cycles of snakes and butterflies, Giorgio Armani's models looked like they were mid-metamorphosis as they strutted the runway in the Italian designer's Spring 2012 couture collection. Shiny fabrics, sequined bodices and scale-shaped mesh, all in absinthe green shades, created an illusion that was divinely serpentine.

Recognize this dress? In January, Gaultier sent a model down the runway in this see-through lace design, a matching orange beehive, fire engine red tights and eye-catching platforms. The following month, Fergie walked the red carpet at the 2012 Grammy Awards wearing the daring creation.

Makeup artist Pat McGrath used pastel-hued adhesive strips and extreme winged black liner to create a tattooed eye makeup effect that matched the geometry of this model's printed Dior shift dress and cone-shaped hair accessory.

After seeing the movie Black Swan, Gaultier took his Fall 2011 Couture collection to the ballet. Feathers, full skirts (maxi tutus?) and severely simple hair and makeup were the designer's vision of the dark side of dancer style.