It’s not Lacroix, sweetie, but it is the most Absolutely Fabulous reunion we’ve seen this year. Comedy icons Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders were back together on the Burberry front row at London Fashion Week, and it was quite the beauty triumph. Imagine Edwina and Patsy getting a very 2025 makeover.
The comedy legends reunited to sit on the Burberry FROW, and looked a world away from the chaotic fashionistas they played in the classic 90s BBC comedy. Leaving Eddie’s wacky hair accessories and wild curls a distant memory, Jennifer opted for a chic, pared-back beauty look that brought to mind another reinvented 90s icon: Pamela Anderson!
We didn’t have this one on our beauty bingo card for 2025, but look at Jennifer’s glowy skin, minimalist makeup and softly-retro blonde bob, and tell us you’re not seeing Pammy’s influence too.
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Dame Joanna opted for a more traditional glam look with her makeup, wearing sooty eyeliner, high-intensity lashes, and an autumnal smokey eye which was fashionably matchy-matchy with her burgundy trench coat. (This seems to be A Thing for London Fashion Week. See also: Kristin Scott Thomas and her LFW makeup matched to her jumper)
Joanna has been wearing a more dramatic, gothic-inspired beauty look on the red carpet recently, due to her role in Wednesday, and she seems happy to keep that drama going for the FROW.
Her blonde hair was softly backcombed for volume but worn loose, not a Patsy-esque skyscraper beehive in sight.
Joanna recently revealed that her hair regime is surprisingly low maintenance, and one that would likely have Patsy choking on her Bollinger.
‘I am now so rich and powerful and famous that I haven’t got time to go to the hairdressers,’ she told Scott Mills in a hilarious Radio 2 interview. Asked by the taken-aback DJ if that meant she cut her own hair, she confirmed this was, in fact, the case.
‘Sure do. Why do you think I'm looking like this?’ she said. ‘People say, “Oh, how can you do it?” I say, “Get some scissors and just go snip.” It's partly impatience and partly because I quite like mistakes.’
Joanna added that her DIY hair regime extended to her colouring, with a similar ‘just wing it’ approach.
‘I also buy hair dye in the shops and just go “I wonder what this looks like.” And sometimes it’s not quite right, and you go “Good. I can fix that.” And it just makes it a bit more exciting.’
No word yet on whether Joanna had the help of a glam squad for the Burberry FROW but we desperately want to believe it was just her, a comb and a quick fringe tidy with the kitchen scissors.
