Dior headed to Rome for its Resort 2026 collection. While the show was inspired by the movies, the “Bella Confusione” presentation was a grand production in its own right.
Models strolled through the lavish gardens of Villa Alabani Torlonia in dreamy Resort and couture pieces, while actors and dancers donned white wigs and period costumes and wandered the sprawling 18th-century private estate.
Natalie Portman, Rachel Brosnahan, Ashley Park and Alexandra Daddario were among the guests who adhered to a strict all-white dress code to pay tribute to Dior Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri, who presented her latest collection in her hometown, a celebration of art—and the reopening of Rome’s famous Teatro della Cometa—that influenced every aspect of the show, right down to the hair and makeup.
Speaking to L’OFFICIEL before the show, Peter Philips, Creative and Image Director of Dior Makeup, said the evening was all about drama. “It was an interaction between living characters and ghosts,” he said.
“The ghosts were played by about 20 actors, all dressed in white costumes from Tirelli, a famous Italian costume company with a long history in Italian cinema.
We collected costumes from the Roman period, the Middle Ages, the 1700s, the 20s, the 30s… all different styles. The idea was to make it a performance, with the models and actors interacting with the audience on the catwalk.”
As for the makeup, romantic braided updos and dramatic lace eye masks were paired with simple, natural looks. “The hair was very Roman sculpture-like, reminiscent of Roman ladies in togas,” said Phillips. “The skin looked pure and luminous, and the girls’ makeup was not ghostly or scary, but more like marble statues.
Because the set design and the overall environment – the costumes, the music, the other performers – were so rich, we wanted to keep it simple so the focus was on the girls and the clothes.”
For a show as rich as this, Philips and Chiuri wanted to make sure the beauty looks didn’t compete for attention. “Once you add too much, it becomes too garish and fragmented,” Philips said, explaining that it was crucial that the looks “coordinate” with the gala. So, “we added a little shimmer to the eyes to make sure the eyes and our radiant skin didn’t disappear; that was it.”
To give the models a clean complexion, Philips prepped their skin with Dior Eye Patches and Dior Capture Le Sérum. He then applied Dior Skin Forever Perfecting Foundation Stick before giving the skin an iridescent glow with Dior Skin Forever Radiance 06 Opal Sequin (for a final touch-up before the show, he used Dior Skin Forever Corrective Full Coverage Concealer).
To create bright eyes, Philips highlighted the models’ lids with a pearlescent highlighter, achieved by using the lightest shade in the Diorshow 5 Couleurs 557 Brown Cachemire Eyeshadow Palette.
He finished with Diorshow On Stage Crayon 594 Brown eyeliner, Diorshow Brow Styler brow pencil, and Diorshow On Set Brow gel.
Lips had a subtle sheen, thanks to the new Dior Addict Lip Glow Butter 103 Toffee, which worked easily into the look Philips wanted to create. “Toffee is one of those shades that doesn’t have pearlescent shimmer, and we didn’t want [a pearlescent lip look] for this show,” he said.
“We used it because it blends into the natural lip color and gives this beautiful, juicy, jelly-like effect.” Nails also wanted to look natural, with a nearly invisible Dior Vernis 100 Nude Look.
The final look was simple yet elegant. “In a way, it didn’t feel like there was too much makeup on,” said Philips, who fully endorsed the minimalist beauty style that Chiuri has championed during her tenure at Dior.
“If you have to present a collection with a certain vision, sometimes makeup can make it more complete; but that’s not the case with Maria Grazia’s collections. She’s very involved in casting [models], [selecting] beautiful girls with strong faces and confidence, so it’s best to have them [look] pure. All the attention is on her designs; makeup doesn’t distract or take away from the look.”