The mane event: Lulu Johnson & Nicki Minaj join Betsey Johnson backstage at NYFW.
“Fake it till you make it!”—perhaps not the chicest of clichés, but when it comes to trying out a new ‘do, we say go faux or just say no! That other old adage, “It’s just hair—it grows back!” is all well and good, until the salon chair spins around, and one is confronted with the aftermath of shear genius gone terribly wrong. While Spring/Summer 2012 runway hair trends ran the full gamut—from slick, sporty ponies to tousled, twisted tresses—the most head-turning trend from backstage was a big secret. In our final Beauty Break blog for S/S 2012, we’re focusing on spring hair with something to hide—four runway styles that fooled the eye.
FAUX BOBS
Arizona Muse's signature bob showcased on Tory Burch's spring runway.
While we adore top model Arizona Muse’s now famous bob haircut, not everyone can (or should) commit to a chin-length chop. Short and sweet styles were a designer favorite at the spring shows, but stylists made sure the runway look was only temporary. Backstage at Tory Burch in New York, Eugene Souleiman created faux bobs to complement Burch’s flirty, retro runway. Souleiman began with a deep side part, then pulled long locks into a pony at the nape of the neck, allowing hair to fall over the ears and create the illusion of a chin-length style. To further trick the eye, Souleiman gently pulled hairs out at the back of the pony, creating a “bob-like volume.” Photographers at the end of Burch’s catwalk had no idea the lopped locks were just ponies in disguise until models made their return trip down the runway!
A hair-raising faux bob at the Fendi Spring/Summer 2012 show.
The trend continued in Milan, where hairstylist Sam McKnight gave Fendi models stunted styles. “We’re doing a faux bob, teased back off the face, (with) lots of height,” McKnight told Videofashion. “She’s a mathematician who has a kind of mad edge,” McKnight explained his tress inspiration. The finished Fendi look was just as convincing as Burch’s bobs—from straight-on, you’d never know these short styles were long locks in disguise!
FAUX UNDERCUTS
“A quintessential English girl on a summer’s night out.” That’s how hair guru Peter Gray described the London-cool look he created for the Paul Smith Spring/Summer 2012 show. Gray’s team tousled tresses with Moroccan Oil styling cream to “give it some sheen and hold” and create a “nice loose and lazy texture.” But the sweet, English rose look also had a tough interior. To take any bulk out of the hair and create that weightless effect, models got what appeared to be undercuts, but what in reality were some very strategically placed cornrows! The lower half-to-third of the scalp was braided tightly, then hair was flipped back overtop to hide the tracks—simple as that! While it-Brit Alice Dellal may be committed to her signature buzz, we think this faux undercut is the perfect stealthy style to complement Sir Paul’s laidback, borrowed-from-the-BF spring vibe.
Undercover undercuts--covert cornrows backstage at Paul Smith.
FAUX BOMBSHELL CURLS
Betsey Johnson’s va-va-voom spring collection was all about accentuating one’s assets—if you’ve got it, flaunt it, and if you don’t, well, try some divine intervention. The same sexy attitude was channeled backstage at Lincoln Center, where tired tresses got extra body and bounce before hitting the catwalk. While London ladies received minimizing styles, Peter Gray gave Betsey’s bombshells maximizing hair makeovers with a supermodel-inspired tress trick! “You know that thing Jerry Hall used to do? She used to grab her hair and kind of fling it all the way around,” Gray explained his mane muse. Hall’s come-hither hair was recreated by pulling models’ strands into smooth side-ponytails at the base of the neck, then setting with hot rollers. Once hair was let loose, the style was left alone—instead of brushing into waves, the super-sized retro curls were allowed to have a life of their own. Extra volume piled on one shoulder creates the illusion of thicker, fuller locks with serious sex appeal. We’re sure super-sized hair fan, Nicki Minaj—who sat front-row at Betsey’s show—approved of the curl-power meets girl-power look.
FAUX DYE JOB
We couldn’t wrap up our spring 2012 beauty report without mentioning the rainbow tress trend. Candy Land dye jobs were all the rage, but before you break out the Manic Panic, consider the tricky tresses Odile Gilbert created backstage at Thakoon. Playing off the rich hues in the New York designer’s East (India) meets West (American cowboys) collection, Gilbert used highly pigmented hair powders in blue, purple, pink, green, and terracotta to faux “dye” models twisted ‘dos. The matte-finish color is anything but flat—we adore this fearless, fresh take on hyper-color hair, and really love the no-commitment, one-day (or one-runway) transformation.
There you have it: for Spring/Summer 2012, we got lippy with 3D, trippy with flashy phalanges, celebratory with statement eyes, and faux-fab with deceptive ‘dos. We’ll have more Beauty Breaks for you from the Autumn/Winter 2012-13 shows—which kick off next week at NYFW! To stay up to date with all the behind-the-scenes and front row action, follow Videofashion on Twitter, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel!
