Color Mode is the first book on make-up artist Lucy Bridge’s work, created through a close collaboration with renowned creative director Veronica Ditting. Ten specially commissioned stories by leading photographers are interspersed with “Looks in Progress,” shot behind the scenes to reveal Lucy’s creative process and working practices, capturing her aesthetic in its most definitive form. Her work instinctively challenges beauty norms and her use of color and texture is resolutely bold and expressive. The book contains over 380 images that serve as inspiration to beauty, image-making, and visual culture.
Color Mode’s photographic stories are testament to Lucy’s ongoing creative partnerships, technical skill, and the range of looks and narratives she creates through make-up. Each feature reveals a different facet of her practice. Carlijn Jacobs’ story explores dramatic colors and experimental textures to create exaggerated and dynamic looks. Sam Rock’s photography documents expressive body painting, creating a world where the line between make-up and clothing is blurred. In the story with Tim Walker, a shared love of theatrical characters is brought to life through color washes, strong pigments, and electric-hued accents.
The design and layout of the book is dynamic, combining precision with a strong rhythm that echoes the carefully curated content.
Photography is by Jack Davison, Carlijn Jacobs, Matthieu Lavanchy, Jean Marques, Oliver Hadlee Pearch, Thurstan Redding, Sam Rock, Luis Alberto Rodriguez, Paolo Roversi, Esther Theaker, and Tim Walker. Texts are by Haider Ackermann, Saskia de Brauw, Dries Van Noten, and Tim Walker, reflecting on their creative processes in ongoing collaborations with Lucy, and a personal conversation with her mother Julia takes us back to where it all began.
Contributors
Lucy Bridge
Author
Lucy Bridge is a make-up artist based between London and Paris. She has worked with photographers including Paolo Roversi, Mert & Marcus, Tim Walker, Inez and Vinoodh, Jack Davison, Drew Vickers, and Carlijn Jacobs, as well as creating runway looks for TOM FORD, Mugler, and Dries van Noten. As of October 2025, she is the first-ever Global Make-up Artist for TOM FORD BEAUTY.
Veronica Ditting
Designed By
Veronica Ditting is a creative director and graphic designer working across campaigns, branding, editorial, and exhibition design, for fashion houses, artists, and cultural institutions. Clients include Hermès, Miu Miu, Louis Vuitton, Luca Guadagnino, and The Row. Veronica was the Creative Director of The Gentlewoman and she remained at the title for over 12 years. In 2020/21 she was the guest artistic director for Le Monde d’Hermès.
