Great Haircolor: Do It Yourself, Don’t Do It At All, and a Few We’ll be Happy to Do

The Winner at Michael Kors

Michael Kors

Our last look at Fashion Week hairstyles, in the Spring, was titled “Fashion Roadkill.” And I feel perhaps a bit less ambivalent for Fall, but that may be because what I liked, I liked a bit more; and what I disliked, I disliked with a passion

Fashion editors unanimously and excessively praised the hair at Michael Kors as being the “best of the shows.” It probably took Orlando Pita and his team hours to achieve the messy, leather-woven braids that look as if the models did their own hair. It was the most attractive “DIY” look of the season, and one I believe will appeal to a lot of women.

Jason Wu, side view

Jason Wu, rear view

At Jason Wu, we had another do-it-yourself-looking runway style; one that required lots of randomly placed black feathers and bobby pins. Again, I’m sure it took Odile Gilbert and team a lot of effort to obtain such a no-effort look. Frankly, I do not see the fashion in it or what it proves – the model looks as if she was attacked by a crow – but it IS an attention-getter, and a form of artistic expression and artistic freedom. I just wonder if anyone noticed the clothes.

"The Trump" at Jill Stuart

Less "Trumpish" at Jill Stuart

I certainly noticed “The Trump Look” at Jill Stuart. It’s as if today, what’s “in” is not necessarily attractive or compelling, but rather what is famous or attached to fame, and it can be anything – including runway hairstyles. This isn’t a good look, its proportions are all wrong, but as long as it reflects a famous personality, it doesn’t actually have to be appealing. No one would ever walk into my salon and ask for this look.

The disaster at Thakooon

But again, this is the era of freedom of expression in fashion, freedom of choice in how we look, and anything goes. As an artist, I just want to ask you to remember to always have you makeup and brows looking their best – when your face is done and attention is paid, you can pull off even the wildest hair and make it look intentional and fashion-forward.

Even the model seems upset at Thakoon

What is the meaning with the awful hair paste and powder at Thakoon? They could have added color with ornaments, feathers, or extensions, and created a look women would want to copy. Who would actually want to try and reproduce this? They’re selling very expensive fashion but cheapening the look with such distractingly awful hair. They didn’t even bother to clean the over-spilled powder from one model’s forehead. Ugly AND sloppy.

United Bamboo's corn rows

It’s obvious some designers feel the hair isn’t important on the runway, yet we all know that in the real world, hair is one of the most important fashion and beauty accessories a woman has, and she spends time and money on it. Ridiculous hair detracts from the clothing – look at the fake “corn-shaped” corn rows at United Bamboo. The hair is fighting with the clothes instead of complementing them. If she were walking down the street, she’d get attention with that hair – negative attention. As an artist, again I want to see hair that is appealing and commercial, hair that makes a woman want to come into my salon and say, “I want that.”

Donna Karan

The hair that I expect I will be reproducing, if perhaps in a slightly less dramatic form:

Carolina Herrera

Donna Karan, Carolina Herrera, Amanda Wakely, Philip Lim, and Marchesa – all up-dos of some kind, whether they’re soft or controlled.

Amanda Wakely

Philip Lim

Marchesa

And I’m sure I will also be asked to work with the trio of French twists shown by Narciso Rodriguez, Diane Von Furstenberg, and the tallest of all, Bagley Mischka.