STRANGE LOVE…Will You Give it to Me?
STRANGE LOVE Spring looks and beauty looks are inspired by the provocative Post Punk sounds and themes of DEPECHE MODE’s 1987 STRANGE LOVE ….. a beauty and fashion editorial tribute to the group’s North American tour this Spring 2023
REDEFINITION OF ATTITUDE:
A redefinition of attitude encapsulates the aesthetic shift of the late 1980s. It was a moment when beauty, style, fashion, and music aligned to create a lasting cultural imprint. This was nowhere more apparent than during the New Wave Era ‘Strange Love’. The 1987 hit single from Depeche Mode’s ‘Music for the Masses mirrored the youth. The band’s look—captured in grainy color magazine cutouts and raw black-and-white music videos—became the template for a youthful generation’s style. The dawn of digital photography blurred the lines between raw realism and polished fantasy. It set the stage for an era that attempted to balance edginess with refinement.
PROGRESSION OF A LOOK:
‘Music for the Masses’ marked a transition in post-punk electronic music, not just in sound but in its visual and fashion direction. The era’s fashion was still tethered to a working-class British youth aesthetic, now with a late-eighties penchant for polished healthiness. The contrast between rugged, denim-clad street style and the theatrical application of makeup—both for men and women—defined an attitude of controlled rebellion.
Hair took center stage as a statement of fashion or triable allegiance. Cropped and spiked or slicked down, it all emphasized the importance of texture and nostalgia. The visible use of hair products during the eighties wasn’t just an aesthetic choice. It foreshadowed the future of beauty markets, where volumizing, hydrating, and texture-enhancing products would dominate.
TESTING TIME:
In 2023 and in 1987 tonal statements still stand their ground. The influence is not just nostalgic but was also directional, guiding contemporary designers and beauty brands toward a fusion of structured minimalism and experimental texture which would dominate the 1990s. According to long time beauty professional – Marilyn Opiz “ that style brought glamour and youthful rebelliousness together at the same time, the combination came together as we have never seen it before…It’s truly the last time we saw an aspirational glamour”
A MODERN OUTLOOK: For IRK’s ‘Strange Love’ editorial, the aesthetic bridges past and present, showcasing emerging designers from Spring 2024 New York Men’s Day Collections alongside American lifestyle retailers catering to a young, fashion-conscious client. The color palette reflects a modern take on the late-eighties mood: soft slate grey, ash rose, cement tones, and the occasional infusion of gold lamé and textured rose knits—understated yet impactful. Makeup follows suit, embracing tonal harmony. Warm, natural-looking shades that define the face. Lips and cheeks are red with warmth, while skin is lightly toned with earth-contouring shades that blend seamlessly.
EYE EDGE:
The eye is the focal point of this aesthetic evolution. For both men and women, the look is striking yet wearable: soft pencil-lined eyes with black kohl and brown, shadowed in deep greys and diffused pewter, blended with rose gold accents. A nod to late-eighties excess emerges in the textural interplay. Warm fur color accents subtly highlight shimmering gold touches at the brow bone and draw to a dramatic wing. Brows are bold and full, almost an eye makeup statement in themselves.
THE SKIN FINISH:
What makes this beauty direction particularly modern is the way neutral tones meld with natural skin textures. Unlike the overtly powdered finishes of the past or the hyper-glossy, of the 1990s, today’s formulations strike a balance. There’s a blending of powder, gel, and cream textures, creating an understated matte that is youthful and spirited style. The evolution of beauty in 2023 mirrors 1987’s careful balance between refinement and rawness, proving that some attitudes in fashion and beauty are not just cyclical but perennial.
Want more: LAURA BLUE EYES by French Cowboy
IRK Fashion and Art Collaboration Spring 2023
Fashion Direction, Art Direction, and Creative Practice by IRK MAGAZINE Editors Patrick Michael Hughes and Stacy Seiler.
Patrick Michael Hughes Senior Fashion Editor, Men’s Fashion Writer
Stacy Seiler Graphic Designer, IRK Art Editor
Jeff Mikkelson Photographer: Mikkelson, is an award-winning beauty and fashion photographer and director based in New York, with editorial and advertising clients worldwide.
Li Murillo Hair Stylist and Meron Weyante Make-up Artist
Share this post
Patrick Michael Hughes is a fashion and decorative arts historian. He writes about fashion culture past and present making connections to New York, London and Copenhagen's fashion weeks with an eye toward men's fashion. He joined IRK Magazine as a fashion men's editor during winter of 2017.
He is often cited as a historical source for numerous pieces appearing in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNN, LVMH, Conde Nast, Highsnobiety and others. His fashion career includes years as a fashion reporter/producer of branded content for the New York local news in the hyper digital sector. Patrick's love of travel and terrain enabled him to becoming an experienced cross-country equestrian intensively riding in a number of locations in South America Scandinavia,The United Kingdom and Germany. However, he is not currently riding, but rather speaking internationally to designers, product development teams, marketing teams and ascending designers in the US, Europe and China.
Following his BA in the History of Art from Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York he later completed graduate studios in exhibition design in New York. it was with the nudge and a conversation in regard to a design assignment interviewing Richard Martin curator of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art he was encouraged to consider shifting his focus to the decorative arts with a concentration in fashion history and curation.
Patrick completed graduate studies 17th and 18th century French Royal interiors and decoration and 18th century French fashion culture at Musée Les Arts Decoratifs-Musée de Louvre in Paris. Upon his return to New York along with other classes and independent studies in American fashion he earned his MA in the History of Decorative Arts and Design from the Parsons/Cooper Hewitt Design Museum program in New York. His final specialist focus was in 19th century English fashion and interiors with distinction in 20th century American fashion history and design.
Currently, he is an Associate Teaching Professor at Parsons School of Design leading fashion history lecture-studios within the School of Art and Design History and Theory,
Read Next
