Historians consider 1997 to be fashion’s "big bang," the year that changed the industry forever: Galliano started at Dior, McQueen at Givenchy; Rei Kawakubo released her lumps-and-bumps "Body Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body" collection at Comme des Garçons; concept-shop Colette opened in Paris; the Fendi baguette launched. With her buzzy Spring '97 Versus by Versace show, Donatella Versace proved that the smooth and sexy House of Versace could also do cool. “It was a joyful moment,” said Donatella Versace during the press conference for her Spring/Summer 2025 collection, an energy she tapped into when designing her recent grunge-meets-glam extravaganza of clashing prints in easy-going, ultra-wearable shapes. “When there is so much darkness in the world, with this collection, I wanted to bring color, light, optimism, and joy—we have never needed it more!”

Backstage, makeup artist Dame Pat McGrath, Versace’s longtime collaborator, also echoed the ’90s with a universally-flattering brown-red lip shade paired with what McGrath calls “spa-fresh” skin, plumped up with a heavy-handed application of McGrath’s rose-infused face essence followed with strategic dabs of her high-tech highlighting balm. (Sidenote: That bare skin/bold lip combo reminds me of another 1997 big-bang moment, this time from the beauty world: the debut of Versace’s much-loved, but now discontinued, line of makeup.) 

“That '90s grunge red was so different from any other red lipstick in history,” explains lipstick icon Poppy King, who founded her first lipstick line––the indie-favorite Poppy––in 1991 at the age of 19 and her second, the blockbuster Lipstick Queen, 15 years later. “You have to remember, right before the ’90s, it was all about the power woman––big shoulder pads and power makeup. The colors all looked artificial, as if from a petri dish. They didn't look like any color that the body itself could produce, right? So the ’90s brick-red was a shift away from that hyper, artificial power-woman red. The grunge red felt fecund, of the body, and very new.”

In contrast with the bold and fluffy '80s brow, '90s arches were minimized––plucked thin, bleached, or shaved off completely, notes makeup artist and beauty historian Phyllis Cohen, whose avant-garde work with David Bowie, Boy George, and Annie Lennox in the ’80s and ’90s greatly influenced mainstream beauty culture. “While brows went thin and feminine and eyeshadow was more minimal and soft, brick-red lips acted as the more androgynous hard-glam sister of crimson and burgundy.” 

Carolyn Bessette wore Bobbi Brown Ruby Stain uptown at black ties; Winona Ryder wore Poppy Lust downtown at Brownies. Plum Sykes wore it everywhere: “When I was in my 20s, I absolutely loved the look of that slightly dulled-down red, which was the sort of Bobbi Brown look. So you could have a lovely look on your lip that hinted at red, but was not as severe as a sort of Joan Collins Dynasty red!” says the fashion journalist and bestselling novelist (check out her new substack P.S. by Plum Sykes). “Wearing a bright red or a scarlet lipstick is actually very difficult. I think brick-red colors are much more easy to work with.”

We would apply the lipstick straight from the tube; no lip pencil or lip brush required. “Those old matte lipstick bullets had such a firm, dry formula that you could carve the shape just with the lipstick,” says King, who launched her third lipstick line, Poppy King, last year with reformulated versions of her '90s hits, including the bestselling muddy-red Lust. 

Back at Versace, McGrath’s hybrid pencil-lipstick––Pat McGrath Dramatique Mega Lip Pencil in Flesh 3––delivered the same precision application as those old '90s tubes but in a soft, cushy, hydrating texture. As the makeup team finished each face––brows kept minimal, lashes had just a touch of mascara––the super-smiley and citrusy-scented Channing Tatum (the face of the new Versace Eros Energy) bounced around, distracting everyone––including McGrath––with enormous bear hugs. For many of the models, it was the last show of a long day. Giggly, relaxed, and, yes, joyful––they exited the Castello Sforzesco and wore that beautiful brick lipstick out on the town for the rest of the night.

The Kit

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