71. Hair Hats

This post written by me originally appeared in The Hub Magazine.

The fashion and beauty industries can take themselves too seriously sometimes. They too want you to take it seriously. But fashion, by it very nature, can be a fickle little mistress. It thrives on the pursuit of the short-lived. The desire to possess and be a part of what is new is never satisfied. There is always something on the horizon. Wearable art, though, claims to be a thing apart from fashion. It represents an attitude toward self-endorsement based on a desire to collect beautiful objects that are displayed by being worn. I mean why on earth do we spend so much time and money worrying about our appearances and by what brand is stitched in the lining? Isn’t it supposed to be fun?

Enter Nagi Noda and her “Hair Hats” like a breath of fresh air. Nadi Noga started as a graphic designer creating print advertisements, cd sleeves and book covers. Her skills and growing notoriety allowed her to start her company ‘Uchu Country’ and attracted the interests of major companies like Nike and Coca Cola. Despite her young age, she left behind an impressive variety of whimsical projects. Some examples include music videos for artists like the Scissor Sisters and Tiga, an extensive ad campaign and paper bag designs for Laforet Harajuku, and her line of Hanpanda (half panda, half other creatures) stuffed animals. Other works include direction of a TV advertisement for Coca-Cola with music by Jack White, and a collaboration with Medicam Toy to produce Nagi Noda of Be@rbrick fame.

However, we are here to talk about her project that is close to my heart. The Hair Hats. In the tradition of cutesy-kitch Japanese Pop art, or J-Pop as it is fondly known, these animal hair hats pictured above, are not made from fuzzy animal hair, but rather, are made from human hair wefts from India to take the form of animals. These incredibly detailed hair sculptures, photographed here by Kenneth Cappello, are not actually made from the models' own hair, with features like the eyes and snouts stitched on, which means that this might be a unique design that we may see on the market soon, or at least on the catwalks. Lady Gaga who loves a bit of wearable art was seen wearing one of Nagi’s Hair Hat designs for a photoshoot.

Tragically, Nagi died on September 7th 2008 at age 35, after surgical complications from injuries sustained in a traffic accident the previous year. The music video for “Hearts On Fire” by Cut Copy was the last video she made.

It has to be noted here that unlike myself Nagi wasn’t a hairstylist. However she took all the principles of the hair trade and made them uniquely her own with more thought than hair product.

Just Like Grand Wizard Theodore, a non musician who is credited for inventing “scratch” synonymous with dj and hip hop culture, sometimes it takes an outsider or non-professional to take a different approach to change a whole hair and beauty industry as we know it.

Jean Jeanie

Jean Seberg - The actress who inspired a million pixie cuts.

Ever wondered where the inspiration came for all those short pixie haircuts we are seeing all over Hollywood and in fashion magazines right now? Allow me to trace the secret life of cropped hair inspired by the actress Jean Seberg, pictured center above.

Jean Seberg was American, born in Iowa, November 13, 1938. As a little known seventeen year-old, she blazed onto the silver screen as Joan of Arc with short shorn-off hair. She beat such heavy weights as Audrey Hepburn for the part in film director Otto Preminger's controversial biopic Saint Joan (1958). Critics canned the movie at the time, blaming the director and Jean Seberg for their inexperience. She is quoted as saying:

"I have two memories of St. Joan. The first was being burned at the stake in the picture. The second was being burned at the stake by the critics. The latter hurt more. I was scared like a rabbit and it showed on the screen. It was not a good experience at all. I started where most actresses end up."

Film buffs and hair geeks will note that hairdresser Gordan Bond (The Italian Job 1969, Fiddler on the Roof 1971) was responsible for cutting and maintaining Jean Seberg’s hair on set.

But it wasn’t until Jean Seberg met legendary cult film director Jean-Luc Godard that she got her worldwide fame with a film called “A bout de Soufflé” released in 1960, or with the English title “Breathless”. Seberg plays Patricia, her flawless French betrayed only by the hint of her American accent. Nine minutes and forty seconds into the film we see Seberg, a gamine figure with the face of innocence, hawking the New York Herald Tribune in her T-shirt, pedal-pushers and flats, walking down the Champ Elysee. It is an iconic moment in motion picture history. It’s at that exact moment in time when the film critics and the fashion elite took notice.

For me, as a hairdresser, I see Jean Seberg’s hair in “A bout de Soufflé” as one part American classic glamour: clean sophisticated lines, cool and casual. And yet, there is part of that Parisian charm of looking like she rolled out of bed effortlessly, slightly disheveled and without a concern about her hair at all. I have described this haircut to my colleagues as “the right kind of wrong haircut”: strong, liberating and defiant, yet soft and oh-so-feminine. At the 39 minute 14 second mark, you can watch Seberg cut her own hair with nail scissors. A key scene where her hairstyle is summed up as deliberate, yet not contrived at all.

Jean Seberg is quoted as saying, “I know they (the French) loved the short hair. It was very daring then because of the concentration camp memories”.

Sure, she wasn’t the first woman to have short-cropped hair. In fact, during the 1920s, short hair was fashionable across America and Europe with girls cutting their long hair off with the introduction of the flapper movement. In London, the Elton crop was all the rage. In 1926, the singer, entertainer and actress Josephine Baker caused a stir dancing the Charleston in Paris with very short hair. But it wasn’t until 1960 that a new kind of modern cropped-hair was defined. It’s like year zero for modern hairstyles.

May 31^st 2010 marks the 50^th anniversary of “A bout de Soufflé” and Jean Seberg’s pixie crop. And like all great Hollywood legends, Jean Seberg died under mysterious circumstances on 30^th August 1979. She was found dead eleven days later in her car on the streets of Paris. Her involvement with the Black Panthers and the infamous FBI files only feed more into her mystique. Her style, and that haircut live on.

Pictured clock-wise from top right Michelle Williams, Agness Dewyn, Kate Moss, Pixie Geldof, Natalie Portman, Voctoria Beckham, Edie Sedgewick, Carey Mulligan, Milagros Schmoll, Twiggy, and Mia Fallow. Center Jean Seberg, a film still from the film Breathless.

Interview with Nina Butkovich-Budden part 1.

A while back, in a previous post, I stumbled upon Nina Butkovich-Budden, a hairstylist whom I greatly admire. Her work is placed somewhere between the past and the future. I admire her so much that I decided to stalked her via various social networking sites to get an interview. This is the outcome of when you get a chance to talk to your hero. This interview is part 1 of 2.

I wrote this article for The Hub Magazine.

I discovered your work while perusing the endless photos from London Fashion Week … the hair you did for Marko Mitanoski is amazing. How did that collaboration come about?

I was in Croatia with Issidora - my partner in crime - and we were both "dying" of flu, and as one does we were in front of the TV watching FTV when all of a sudden this amazing vision appeared! It was a show Marko Mitanovski did for Belgrade Fashion Week. I was in awe of his design aesthetic and decided to find him straight away. I Googled him and found him on Facebook. I proceeded to tell him I wasn't a stalker and that we should work together. I invited him to London and asked my friend who owns a talent agency to sign him up and bring him over. He accepted the invite and within four months he was chosen for Vauxhall Fashion Scout’s "Ones to Watch’, and as they say –the rest is a history!

Marko Mitanoski’s clothes are “other-worldly”, what was the inspiration for the antlers?

Marko's clothes are something else and as a whole feel quite dark, structured and almost gothic in shape, which required equally magnificent structured hair. I was thinking along the lines of trees and branches and then one morning I woke up with an epiphany – the antlers! I began researching and my eye caught the site of an incredible Scottish deer. I suggested it to Marko and he loved it! The first prototype was a challenge. The structure was created by my friend, the sculptor, Julie Elgar, who managed to manipulate chicken wire into antlers. I used hair to make them bearable for the models to wear. They were very wobbly and heavy at first, but now we’ve fine-tuned them using a much lighter base.

I saw Lady Gaga wearing one of your antlers, how did that come about?

Oh, that’s a cool story. We got approached by the fabulous stylist Nicola Formichetti (who is the senior fashion director of Dazed & Confused magazine amongst others), who is also Lady Gaga's stylist He asked us to supply him with a couple of pieces from Marko's collection for the Q Magazine photoshoot. We took a chance and custom made a pair of antlers for Lady Gaga that we included with the costumes. Little did we know that fashion photographer Nick Knight was going to use them for the ‘Put Your Paws Up’ interlude on her Monster Tour! I have a lot of respect for Gaga wearing all the young designers’ clothes and giving them a platform for success… Formichetti is a genius at discovering all the new talent out there.

My research tells me you were born in Croatia; did you start your hair career there? And did you always have an interest in hair?

Yes, I was born and raised in Zagreb. After the war I decided I needed to change the ambience and moved to London. Over there I attended the Art school, but I got bored and decided to save the animals of the planet and enrolled to become a veterinary surgeon. Fortunately for the world of vintage hair I hated it and realized it was a bad decision, so I left.

When did you have a “hair-epiphany”, or when did you realize you wanted to become a hairdresser?

In the early 1990's I approached my friend Dorees who is the owner of a prestigious London hair salon and begged her to take me on as an apprentice. After a year of learning and numerous tantrums I was able to cut a perfect Nancy Kwan (film actress) bob created for her by Vidal Sasson in the 60's – which was my goal. Once I was able to achieve that, I was ready to hit the world of Haute Coiffure.

How did you start out in hairdressing?

Cutting hair with nail scissors.... local punks, Goths and alternatives were guinea pigs and lots of friendships ceased there hahaha!

Stay tuned for part 2 coming soon...

Special thanks to Rachael from creative-idle.

Born to be Mild- Neoclassic Man

This article called Neoclassic Man was originally written for The Hub Magazine. I thought I'd share this with you.

What’s a modern man to do? What with the weight of the world on his shoulders: interest rates, the global economy, duties around the house, baldness, rising trouser waist lines – not to forget ever-expanding waist lines – coupled with the compulsion to check the crackberry and i-phone at every given moment whilst keeping the trouble and strife happy. What’s a modern man to do in an age of rapidly changing expectations? Even the most rebellious men about town amongst us are questioning themselves.

“Am I suffering from change fatigue?”

It seems, the tide has turned for men’s hair and men’s clobber, now favouring a more groomed and slicked back, parred down approach ala Don Draper from the popular US hit TV show, Mad Men. Men, it seems, on the surface at least, have finally grown up. It’s the logical next step. Gone are the days of hogging your girlfriends straightening irons, or sporting elaborate multi-directional hair (I know you’re out there).

Thanks largely to the fashion world’s continued obsession with Tom Ford and his new muse actor Nicholas Hoult – star of Channel 4’s coming of age drama Skins, and Ford’s film A single Man – there has never been a better time than right now to neaten up and carry a comb in your back pocket.

If – like me – you followed the Milan men’s fashion shows from January in magazines and online, chances are you might have thought you were clicking through a casting call for Mad Men, or one of those late night war films. It seemed as though every model, fashion editor, photographer, stylist, and man-about-town caught on one of those hip street-style blogs was rocking a side parting and slicked back.

Modern man is neoclassic, he puts style over fad. This is quintessentially men’s hair at its best. Think of it like the backbone of male grooming. This is so refreshingly understated and unpretentious. Minimum fuss and maximum efficiency. Of course, the boys in Milan already knew that. Just check out the flagship Dolce & Gabbana Barbiere in Corso Venezia. The real question that modern man needs to answer is, where to find a decent barber?

Why not try the oldest barbershop in London, Truefit and Hill barbers who offer a close shave and a chat. Or across the Atlantic, VL Studio, 198 7th Avenue, New York, (212) 929-3039. Its where Scott Schuman, he of The Sartorialist fame, goes to get his locks seen to.

When in Melbourne, Australia, go and see Nick at All The Kings Men. A friend said it best, “They combine the unpretentious charm of an old-school barbershop with the reassuring artfulness of a ritzy salon, without all the hair tonic, herbal tea and unsightly fauxhawks.”

Speacial thanks to Rachael Oku from Creative-idle.

Images Dominic O’Keefe, Eddie Tucker from models.com, Jon Hamm depicted in Mad Men, street style photograph courtesy of The Satorialist, Dior Homme 2010 and Nicholas Hoult For Tom Ford.

50th Post... Dip Dye

50th blog post!

Hard to believe I made it this far, so to celebrate I'm posting my first monthly article I wrote for The Hub Magazine.

Two of the images above featuring model Abby Lee Kershaw – shot for Vogue Australia – have been making the rounds for some time now, and her dip dyed hair has divided both hairdressers and hipster denizens worldwide ever since. Make no mistake, statement hair color is making a comeback.

Usually the much frowned upon idea of regrowth would send any hairdresser worth their salt into instant hissy fits and even panic attacks. Believe me, I’ve seen it, and it’s not pretty. However the appeal, as a hairdresser and certified rebel-at-heart is in its purposeful imperfection and undeniable artful edge. This technique of dip dyeing or ombre as its also known in fashion speak (French for shading), usually refers to a fabric dyeing process that produces a pale-to-dark gradation of color in the fabric.

So just how do you interpret and translate all these splashes of color on the ends of models hair to your own mane without it looking like your 6-year-old niece attacked you?!

For the more daring amongst us, blondes can try neon shades or black, and brunettes can try acid blue or yellow. London girl-about-town and Fashion Editor of Dazed & Confused magazine, Katie Shillingford makes a stance. So it would make sense that Katie Shillingford with the help from hairstylist Raphaël Salley would style this shot for Dazed & Confused, taking the look to its (un) natural conclusion by adding acid blue in the mix.

Now let’s get serious, achieving this bold color takes bravado, so seek some expertise and precision most commonly found in the capable hands of a hairstylist, so to reiterate, this is not one to try at home, unless you want look like your 8 year old did it. So please, make an appointment with your colorist to avoid disappointment – and be prepared to snip your hair off above the dye-line when you’re fed up with it, because only permanent dyes will do and a steady hand to avoid the color running up the hair shaft, as one colorist I’m fond of for a rent-a-quote said, “perfectly placed, yet strategically erratic”.

For better results, a neat blunt cut works best with a clean 1-2inch colored line at the bottom of your mid to long hair length. It makes the whole look more confident and deliberate, without being too contrived. To make this hairstyle more user-friendly and less labored looking, most hair color specialists would recommend a more subtle combination than Drew Barrymore’s Black on blonde. For example honey blondes can go for a lighter soft peach or a darker chocolate through the ends, and brunettes could try caramel like Alexa Chung’s new bob length cut. All thats left to say is: Get Your Dye On!

Images: Abby Lee Kershaw: Australian Vogue, Drew Barrymore: Hello Magazine, Abby Lee Kershaw: Australian Vogue, Model at Horace AW10 fashion show, Drew Barrymore: Hello Magazine, Katie Shillingford: Jak&Jil blog, Lou Doillion: Lee Jeans and Alexa Chung: Daily Mirror.

A very special thanks to Rachael Oku, Features Editor for The Hub and Creative-Idyle.

Turn On Your Bright Lights

Hair colour is back. Make no mistake.

I've just written an article for The Hub Magazine, and in my research about hair colour trends I found this photo editorial in Vogue Italia.

About the model.

Natalia Polevshchikova (Russia Наталья Полевщикова), generally shortened to Natasha Poly (born July 12, 1985Poly was born on July 12, 1985 in Perm, Russia and began modeling locally in 2000. After winning a model search competition in Moscow^] she made her runway debut, walking for Emanuel Ungaro in 2004.

She resides in New York, NY and has her own fan-site at www.NatashaPoly.com

About the photographer.

Craig McDean (born 1964, England) is a British fashion photographer originally from Middlewich near Manchester, but now based in. New York City.

McDean originally trained and worked as a car mechanic before studying photography at Mid Cheshire College (OND) and Blackpool & Fylde College of Further & Higher Education (PQE). McDean began his photographic career in London as a photographer's assistant to photographer Nick Knight. His early editorial work was featured in magazines such as i-D and The Face, which led to advertising campaign work for clients such as Jil Sander and Calvin Klein, and editorial commissions with Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue.

McDean is married to stylist Tabitha Simmons. He is represented by Art + Commerce in New York.