77. St Martin De Porres- Patron Saint of Hairdressers.

I'm not a religious guy but awhile back I wrote an article about St Martin De Porres, patron saint of hairdressers which got a tonne of traffic here at Heads Will Roll. Well, as it happens Novemeber 3rd 2010 will mark the 371st anniversary of his death. So I'm dedicating this blog post to him.

This is his story.

At the age of twelve, Martin had to choose a trade to help earn a living for himself and his mother. Martin trained to be a barber, which in those days meant not only cutting hair and beards, but also letting blood, treating wounds and fractures, and even prescribing medicine for the more ordinary cases of illness. A barber was in fact, at the same time a surgeon, doctor and pharmacist. Martin could have earned a great deal of money and lived in comfort with his mother, but the same charity which drove him as a small child, now moved him to devote himself to the poor. On a typical day, he set out at daybreak and along the way between his home and the shop, stopped for long periods of time in the church of St Lazarus, serving at many Masses. After having spent the whole day in the effort to perfect himself in his profession and use it to help the poor, he shut himself up in his room to feed his soul with spiritual reading and prayer. 


76. The Humble Bobby Pin

Oh the bobby pin. These little guys are the back-bone to the art and craft of "dressing of the hair". The above photos come from Christian Dior Fall 2009 Ready-To-Wear. But first let's have a quick history lesson.

The "bobby pin" came into wide use as the hairstyle known as the Bob Cut or took hold. This trend gained popularity in the 1920s, and the bobby pins kept the bobbed hair in place. A trademark on the term "bobby pin" was held for some decades by Bob Lépine Corporation of Buffalo, New York. A trademark infringement claim made by Bob Lépine against Procter & Gamble regarding their naming their home permanent product Bobbi was settled in the 1950s by a payment to Bob Lépine by P&G. The term is now in common usage and therefore is no longer a valid trademark. Similarly, the British "kirby grip" is derived from the trademark Kirbigrip, used by a Birmingham manufacturer of such pins, Kirby, Beard & Co. Ltd.

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But have you ever woken up in a strange house, handcuffed to a bed post? Me neither, but if you have, perhaps you should think about this alternative use for the humble bobby pin.

1. The first step in picking handcuffs is to prep a bobby pin. This is done by bending the bobby pin into a 90˚ angle.

2. Remove the plastic tip at the end of the straight section.

3. Next, bend the bobby pin to the left, creating a 90˚ bend about 1cm from the end of the bobby pin. Then bend bobby pin at 90˚ to the right from about .5cm from the end of the bobby pin. This will create a modified “S” shape (see photo).

4. Insert the pick (bobby pin) into the upper cutout of the lock pointed towards the cuff’s direction of travel.

Once the pick has been inserted and is resting under the handcuff housing, add tension and press the pick towards the cuff’s direction of travel.

This motion will recreate the key’s raised area pressing against the locking mechanism and release the cuff. Now quickly exit building and change your phone number and Facebook profile.

75. OOH LA LA. BEST HAIR AT PARIS SPRING FASHION WEEK 2011.

For regular readers of Heads Will Roll will know that I love a little bit of hair braiding, so you will not be surprised to hear that my pick of Best hair at Paris Spring fashion week 2011 goes to Guido Palau for Alexander McQueen.

And here’s what Guido said “: “There’s a nod to paganism…and the idea of getting back to nature,” said Guido Palau of his basket-woven hairpieces, which looked like the sewn-together husks of one’s childhood cornhusk dolls. “There are a lot of artisanal straw elements in the dresses and collars,” he added, explaining the look”.

And also...

Also special mention goes to Orlando Pit for his inspiring homage to Bettie Page. It’s such a simple idea but so well executed. Makes me want to invest in some clip on bangs.

And lastly...

And lastly, to the model with the most drastic hair change Carmen Kass pictured above. Her big chop came just before the Balmain show by one of my favourite hairstylist Sam McKnight. But wait there’s more, then she had Guido colour her red just before the Louis Vuitton show.

To read more of my hair reviews of other fashions weeks click here.

74. GOT YOUR MAMA IN A WHIRL...

Melbourne's own Abbey Lee Kershaw keeps popping up on my radar which isn't that hard considering she everywhere at the moment. And I must say that I'm really digging her new haircut and colour.

For more hair inspiration from Abbey Lee click here.

73. BIG BANG THEORY.

I’m seeing loads of these big retro fringes (or big bangs if you like) around at the moment and I have a theory, that this kind of particular fringe seems to have it’s roots in late 60s perhaps early 70s. Hear me out, all of the Rollingstone girlfriends had them —Marianne Faithfull (pictured above), Anita Pallenberg, Pattie Boyd—had those big fringes with mystic rock cred. In France, très chic singers such as Jane Birkin and Françoise Hardy peered out from beneath deep heavy cut brunette bangs, forever imbuing the style with a touch of je ne sais quoi.

Now back in the 21^st century it seems actress Zooey Deschanel and Anne Hathaway are paying tribute to a bygone era. So to models Freya Beha Erichsen, Jamie bochert, Lou doillion and Irina Lazareanu. The photo below of Abbet lee Kershaw is a dead-ringer for Marianne Faithful.

Quick history of the fringe or bangs.

The “invention” of bangs as a women’s hairstyle is generally credited to a musician/hairstylist named Ziryab from Spain in the ninth century and introduced a wildly popular short-in-the-front, long-at-the-sides coiffure.

And so it began with a bang, not a whimper. Why do they call it bangs?

Pictured above Marianne Fathful, Abbey Lee Kershaw, Paty Boyd. Natasha Khan, Irina Lazareanu, Jane Birkin, Françoise Hardy, Chan Marshal (Cat Power), Anne Hathaway and Zooey Deschanel.