What do a pigeon, a hypothetical alien civilization, and the concept of fragmentation have in common?
At Bench Fashion Week Holiday 2026, held last September 26, all three became unlikely sources of inspiration. R. Studios’ Paloma, inspired by Pablo Picasso’s pigeon series, brought feather-like textures and iridescence to the runway; Bryan Peralta’s Golden Records imagined how extraterrestrial life might interpret NASA’s 1977 time capsule; and Edwin Ao’s Chlorophyll Hexagons: The Body in Impermanence explored fragmentation through deconstructed tailoring and muted tones.
The ideas extended above the neck, too, appearing in winged liner, alien-like eyes, and unexpected flashes of color.
R. Studios’ Paloma at Bench Fashion Week Holiday 2026: Pigeon-inspired hair and makeup
Tucked-back hair
Excel Panlaque
Excel Panlaque
A fringed top and chandelier earrings—both evoking plumage—already do a lot of visual work. Hair parted down the middle and tucked cleanly behind the ears keeps the face open, putting the warm flush across the cheekbones—and the clothes—on full display.
Salt-and-pepper side part
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Salt-and-pepper hair worn with a slight side part echoes the mottled tones found in a pigeon’s plumage, while its natural texture complements the earthy brown and fringed floral details of the clothes.
Cropped bleached blonde
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Cropped, bleached-blonde hair becomes another color story altogether. Against a teal jacket streaked with warmer tones, a red floral top, and seafoam pants, the hair’s golden hue adds one more shade to an already saturated look.
Thick, winged liner
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A voluminous Afro sits like a crown, paired with a thick, elongated wing and feathery lashes that echo the collection’s avian references. A nude lip keeps the focus on the eyes.
Slicked-back hair
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Excel Panlaque
Sleekly combed-back hair—with just a few strands framing the temple and cheekbone—offers another subtle nod to the smoothness of preened feathers. Its clean finish contrasts with the volume of the outerwear and turtleneck.
Bryan Peralta’s Golden Records at Bench Fashion Week Holiday 2026: Alien-inspired beauty
Alien-like contacts
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Excel Panlaque
What might life outside Earth look like? On Peralta’s runway, the answer included bright orange, reptilian-looking contacts.
The first look keeps it simple, with a nose ring and slight waves. The second takes the idea further: two face-framing pieces and upturned eyeliner draw attention to the contacts, while shimmery orange shadow extends beyond the eyes and glossy lips pick up the same warm hue.
Red lips and cheeks
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Saturated red across the lips and cheeks channels ’70s glam, a callback to the same decade NASA launched the Golden Record into space. A single round earring peeking out from behind a long bob adds another disc-like shape to the look.
Brown-lined red lips
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Excel Panlaque
A brown lip liner outlines a softer red lipstick. Dark eyeshadow traces the lash line, its deeper hue standing out against the skin. The contrast continues below the neck: a bright orange jacket over a black cami and dark red top, paired with voluminous bottoms in a brighter red; and pale blue outerwear over a bright pink top.
Undereye shimmer
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Do aliens cry? A near-bare face, punctuated by shimmer just beneath the eyes, makes a case for extraterrestrial tears. Undone hair falls to the shoulders, bringing the look back down to Earth—well, almost.
Tight curls
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Excel Panlaqu
Tight curls—long and threaded with braids, or short and falling across the forehead—take on an almost otherworldly texture. Warmth runs through the rest of the look, from shimmery eyeshadow and a matching satin lip to color-blocked outfits in hues of peach, pink, maroon, and orange.
Edwin Ao’s Chlorophyll Hexagons: The Body in Impermanence at Bench Fashion Week Holiday 2026: Fragmentation
Blue-streaked hair
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Excel Panlaque
Excel Panlaque
Blue is sprayed along the part, cutting a vivid line through jet-black hair. On the face, the same hue appears in a thick, exaggerated wing, creating another graphic flash of blue.
Metallic blue lids
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Excel Panlaque
Metallic blue sweeps across the lids, echoing cool tones scattered across the patchwork clothing. Soft brown-red hues add warmth, defining the face’s contours and lending color to the lips.
Asymmetrical eyeshadow
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Blue surrounds one eye completely, extending from the lid to beneath the lower lash line, while the other is left bare. The asymmetry echoes the collection’s fascination with fragmentation, deliberately disrupting the face’s symmetry.
Sleek ponytail
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Excel Panlaque
A sleek ponytail pulls the hair into a clean line, interrupted by a flash of blue sprayed onto the part. The unexpected color mirrors the fragmented clothing, where buttons, embellishments, and deconstructed tailoring disrupt otherwise structured silhouettes.
Frequently Asked Questions
R. Studios’ Paloma drew inspiration from Picasso’s pigeon series, Bryan Peralta’s Golden Records from NASA’s 1977 time capsule, and Edwin Ao’s Chlorophyll Hexagons from the concept of fragmentation. Each designer carried the idea into runway hair and makeup.
R. Studios echoed plumage in hair and makeup. Salt-and-pepper hair mirrored a pigeon’s mottled feathering, slicked-back hair recalled preened feathers, and thick winged liner with feathery lashes evoked a bird mid-flight.
Peralta’s runway featured bright orange reptilian-looking contacts, shimmery orange shadow with upturned liner, and red lips and cheeks channeling ’70s glam. Other looks included brown-lined red lips and undereye shimmer suggesting alien tears.
Blue echoed the cool tones in Ao’s patchwork clothing and expressed fragmentation. It appeared as a sprayed streak in jet-black hair, a thick wing, metallic lids, and asymmetrical shadow surrounding one eye while the other stayed bare.
Looks ranged from tucked-back middle parts, salt-and-pepper side parts, cropped bleached blonde hair, and slicked-back styles at R. Studios to long, braided tight curls at Peralta’s show. Ao’s runway featured a sleek ponytail with sprayed blue.
