These Stockings From Fashion Week Aren’t Stockings—They’re Makeup

If you’re looking for the most interesting, fun makeup throughout Milan Fashion Week, you’re missing some of the creative cosmetic artistry if you’re looking only at the model’s faces. While we’re loving (and getting lots of inspiration) from the various runway shows and presentations, we’ve seen so far—New York and London Fashion Weeks are over and Milan is underway—we’ve never seen anything quite like what the MAC makeup artists did not on the model’s faces but on their legs at the Iceberg show.

Body makeup isn’t such a strange idea; some of us cover our tattoos for our jobs or use bronzer or shimmer on our legs. But have you ever considered—instead of wearing actual socks or stockings—painting them on with makeup? No? Lead makeup artist Patrick Glatthaar might have you rethinking that.

At the Spring/Summer 2025 Iceberg show, models’ shins, calves, and feet got the tromp l’oeil treatment. They complement the collection’s pastel and neon hues, makeup artists used MAC Chromacake to create the look of sheer, knee-high hosiery in pink, blue, yellow, orange, and more; MAC global senior artist Vilde Feste told Allure they mixed it with water to create the illusion of transparency, and backstage footage shows the artists dabbing the makeup on with traditional foam sponges and little detail brushes, even using tape to get a super clean edge.