88. One To Watch- Arizona Muse

Introducing Arizona Muse

So I’m not the only one jumping on the “A. Muse” bandwagon, but for me, it's about the simplicity and versatility of her haircut.

After all isn’t that what a great hair is all about?

Arizona Muse started her career as a fashion model in 2008 as a long-haired blonde. However, she did not receive any significant attention from the fashion world until 2010 when she returned after her bady was born as a brunette with medium length bobbed hair.

The term MILF springs to mind.

High praise from American Vogue editor Anna Wintour stating in the February 2011 issue: "When I look at Arizona, I see shadows of Linda Evangelista and Natalia Vodianova but most of all I see her, a gorgeous, smart, grown-up. And how could anyone resist someone with that name?"

Further reading bob hair.

82. One To Watch- Tao Okamoto

Tao Okamoto's first agency was Elite to which she signed on in 2006. She made her first runway debut on the Emanuel Ungaro and Martin Grant shows in Paris that same year. The next year, she walked her first New York Fashion Week shows for Marc Jacobs and Cynthia Steffe. Marking her first work for a fashion magazine was her Glamour editorial in 2007.[

Teen Vogue called her a "rising star" in September 2009, and featured her as "Girl of the Moment" in its December/January 2010 issue. Vogue Japan dedicated its November 2009 magazine cover and all of the magazines editorials to her, noting her as a supermodel-in-rising. She has appeared in advertising campaigns for Ralph Lauren, Benetton, HM, Gap and Zac Posen. Clearly one to watch.

80. MEET LISA MUSCAT

I discovered your work titled Seraphic, which is very beautiful by the way. What was the thinking behind the shoot? And how did you prepare the shoot? Is there a story behind the shoot?

Thank you! Seraphic was influenced by International Catwalk trends and global advertising Campaigns; in particular session stylist Guido Palau. I wanted to create something where the hair “dressing” was “undone” and I wanted to create something pure and almost angelic. I collected a series of advertising campaigns such as Prada, Tom Ford and Burberry and transformed elements that inspired me into my work and my creation.

I see a lot of photo shoots by young hairdressers, your shoot feels like it comes from a certain maturity, who shot them for you and who else contributed to the shoot ?

I worked with a fantastic team on this shoot and we all worked together to clearly execute my concept and ideas, and I think having a great team behind you also helps to achieve the balance you look for in a creative shoot through the hair, styling and photographic work.

The team included:

Makeup: Victoria Baron

Styling: Peta- Marie Rixon

Photographer: Paul Scala

Mentor: Emiliano Vitale

Apprentice of the year is such a wonderful thing. Is this something you have been working towards? When did you decide to chase this particular accolade?

What is actually quite interesting is I always wanted to enter Apprentice of the Year for Hair Expo however it wasn’t long before the deadline for the Australian Hair Fashion Awards closed when I decided to put this shoot together. That’s why it helps to have such a fantastic team working with you, inspiring you, mentoring you but most importantly, encouraging you.

You have trained with some inspirational hairdressers like Richard Mannah, Robert Bava, Denis Langford to name a few, how did that come about? What have you learnt from them?

Yes I had the opportunity to be trained by the 3 of them whilst I was on the Australian F.A.M.E. Team which I was selected for through a competition I entered in 2009. The 3 hairdressers are each incredibly talented and inspiring stylists. Denis Langford spoke to us a good deal about stage presence and communication to your audience, Richard Mannah spoke to us about photo shoots and his experience as a hairdresser and Robert Bava did a cutting work shop with us.

I have found that doing hair for a shoot, and doing hair for fashion show and in the salon means I have to have a completely different approach to hair in these mediums. How do you balance them?

Yes they are extremely different but its nice to have the opportunity to be able to do all three and balance them out. Working on hair for a photo shoot and for a fashion show are both absolute privileges and I am very fortunate to be able to do both. To be creative is about opening your heart and your mind to allow the world to see what it is capable of, so I never say no to anything and always try knew things and get involved in as many opportunities as I can. However salon experience is still extremely important to maintain the balance and help control stress levels! Also our clients are really what inspire fashion and allow us to be creative and try new looks or styles or colours.

What advice would you give to a young hair apprentice who is looking to enter competitions?

Don’t ever give up. Always believe dreams come true. And most importantly believe in yourself even if nobody else does. Work for yourself and do things that make you happy and eventually people will see you shine.

I hear you have just returned from London Fashion Week, can you tell me what you got up to?

Yes it was fantastic! I worked on 5 shows including Pussy Willow, Satoshi Date, Felicity Brown, Louise Grey and Heikki Salonen. Each show was different and and challenging and looks involved braids, knots, accessories, mohawks, buns and a ‘chanel tucked under bob’.

What are your top five hairdressing tools?

Cloud Nine irons, Vs Sassoon Tongs, Sassoon Denman, L’Oreal Professionnel tecni.art Volume Mousse and Mycurl are the 5 key tools l like to have in my kit bag.

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

I started in a local salon close to home, working Thursday nights, Saturdays and Sundays and I loved it straight away. I didn’t know just how big this amazing world of fashion and style was, however I knew there had to be someone behind it all and knew I wanted to somehow be a part of it.

And how did you get started in the hairdressing business? Did you start at e Salon?

One year into my apprenticeship I moved to é SALON and found an incredible salon, with an amazing mentor in Emiliano Vitale who believes in his staff and wants to help them grow and succeed as stylists. It was at é SALON that I was introduced to photographic work and fashion shows, and my passion continues to grow every day.

How has e Salon helped you get to where you are now?

My time at e SALON has been truly inspiring. They really believe in each member of staff and are committed to helping each stylist whenever they need it. This salon team inspires me everyday and by allows me to wake up everyday come to work, play with hair and do what I love to do!

What are your plans in the future?

Big things I hope! I have some personal goals I would like to achieve yet work-wise I want to be involved in much more photographic work, more fashion shows and all of the above on an international level. My biggest goal is to hopefully have a salon of my own in a few years.

Lisa Muscat at é SALON

029487 80011

shop 7/2 Redleaf Ave Wahroonga, NSW 2076

emiliano@esalon.com.au

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This article was originally written by Jean-Paul Rosette for Style Street.

78. BLUNT FRINGE- THE AGE MELBOURNE MAGAZINE.

I was quoted in "The Age Melbourne Magazine" last month which made my head swell for the good part of a week. That's not me pictured above by the way. So, if you missed it, here it is again.

Thanks to Felicity Lewis for the article and Indianna Foord for the photos.

Melbourne Women seem to have embraced the blunt fringe at the moment more than ever before. Why? One answer is, Abbley-Lee Kershaw. The Melbourne model has been wearing a thick fringe on catwalks this year, on stage in New York for a guest spot with her boyfriend's rock band, and in Vogue Nippon in leathers, after the fashion of Marrianne Faithfull in the 1968 film Girl on a Motorcycle.

Fringes- or bangs, as they are known in the states- have always created a bit of frisson. In first-century Iberia (once part of Spain), the musician Zirab apparently caused a stir by cutting a fringe down to his eyebrows when the key look of the daywas shoulder length with a centre part. Fast-forward to the 1960s and you have Vidal Sassoon shaking up the old order by giving Mary Quant a shiny wash and wear bob with fringe (which hairdresser as Sassoon protege Bob Leopold brought to Melbourne women).

Our interviewees were inspired by various icons: actor Louise Brooks and her "flapper bob; retro pin-up girls such as Betty Page; whose curled-under bangs caused a sensation in the 1950s. And tousled fringes are the big part of the rock'n'roll look - think Chrissie Hynde and Chrissy Amphlett for starters.

Hairdresser Jean-Paul Rosette, from Worksense, says the 2010 breed of fringe has a "new edge". "It's heavier, it's blunter, it's eye skimming, it's more deliberate than those side-sweepy numbers that have been happening for a while". He speculates that the look has been given a nudge more recently by the likes of the actor Zooey Deschanel, and the model Lou Doillion, whose mother, Jane Birkin and step sister Charlotte Gainsbourg have worn fringes well.

"Your eyes are exactly halfway between the top of your head and your chin," says Rosette, "so to have a long fringe is to cover half your head- it's a bit hide-and-seek, it's a bit fun, it's a bit mischievous. It's quite cool." He says there is a fringe for everyone- unless your hair is very curly- and the trick to keeping them looking smart is to have a five minute trim every three weeks.

A possible side benefit: fringes cover frown lines on your forehead, points out writer Alice Thompson in an article in The Times this yea, "Are fringes the New Botox?" And if you're not sure about taking the plunge, clip-on fringes from Celebrity Wigs are a snip at $30.

You can read my other article on Fringes titled "BIG BANG THEORY" by clicking here.

70. A story about Hair Extensions

This is a very long post, like make yourself a cup of tea long.

On a typically hot day on West Mahal Road in a town called Tirupati, South India, a thin woman with big brown eyes named Amrita Mayekar is walking purposefully – making her long pilgrimage to Lord Venkateswara at one of the many temples. Today, not unlike every other day she is wearing a bright fuscia Shalwar and matching kameez in the tradional manner. Her offering to Lord Venkateswara today will be her crowning glory; her long lustrous hair that has been freshly washed this morning with gooseberry oil and is braided neatly. Little does she know that this simple religious act will reverberate around the world.

We follow Amrita Mayekar’s journey to one of the many temples in the area and watch her take a dip in a tank called Swami Pushkarani, located outside the temple. Legend has it that Swami Pushkarani was the tank of Lord Vishnu and is a sacred tank in which visitors must bathe before being allowed in the temple. Now freshly washed, she is ready to take part in a religious ceremony called 'Tonsuring', where women must shave off their hair as a sacrifice to the God Vishnu. The woman named Amrita Mayekar, wearing her bright fuchsia Shalwar and matching kameez believes that taking part in this ceremony is a symbol that she is willing to give up her pride and vanity, and to ask the Gods for health and happiness in the future.

Amrita Mayekar sits cross-legged on the ground and bows her head before Mr. Ravi Shankar seated on a small plastic chair. He is one of the 600 official barbers who work for the temple and it’s administration, Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanamsand (or TTD as it’s known locally). He earns R10,000 (£140) a month shaving up to 35 men, women and children’s heads each day. He is also entitled to free accommodation for his family, free food cooked at the temple, and a bus pass to travel up to the hill upon which the temple is located. Mr. Ravi Shankar wets her hair and ties the strands into bunches. He then makes brisk work out of shaving Amrita Mayekar’s hair. Occasionally pausing, the barber dips his razor into a cold soapy bucket to remove the fine strands of hair then goes back to the business of shaving. Even the tiny hairs on her nape are clean, hair-free and glistening. The whole ceremony takes five minutes.

Amrita Mayekar’s hair is collected by various temple workers who bundle it into big burlap sacks, which are already filled with other hair, and is taken to a hut-shaped warehouse just behind the temple's main office – a short walk away. These sacks containing Amrita Mayekar’s wet hair are placed next to hundreds of over flowing sacks with similar contents. Then, young temple workers go about their daily business by placing thousands of these bundled wet hair sacks on the rooftop where all the hair is laid out side by side and sun-dried.

Once all the hair is dry, it is sold to a well spoken young man with a goatee called Mr. Balsara of SDTC Exports. The exact amount is uncertain, but it is estimated that Mr. Balsara buys a burlap sack for 4,200 Rupee (£60), filled to the brim with the ceremonial offering. One of these sacks containing Amrita Mayekar’s hair is taken to a factory in Bungladore, where Indian woman in white lab coats and face masks sit and have the daunting task of sorting the tonnes of hair into colour tones. In another part of the factory young women are sorting hair into different lengths.

From here the hair is boiled in 120-degree water, dried again and loaded onto ships destined for another factory in the city of Zhaoyuan, China, where Amrita Mayekar’s hair is mixed in with Chinese hair. It is then sorted and chemically coloured into 54 different shades of red, blonde and brunette. Some of this pre-coloured hair goes to a company called Hangzhou Starshine Pharmaceutical in China, where the hair is mixed with animal parts to be broken down into an amino acid, which is then used in some bakery goods.

From China, some of Amrita Mayekar’s hair is packaged into long plastic bags and sold to a well-groomed Englishman called Mr. Gold, who owns a company called Great Lengths. Mr. Gold ships some of Amrita Mayekar’s hair along with millions of other wefts of hair in various lengths and colours to all parts of the world, including the U. S. A., Canada, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, the Caribbean, Japan, Mexico and most of Europe. Some of Mr. Gold’s friends say he deals with a product called “black gold” or virgin untreated hair.

Mr. Gold Sells Amrita Mayekar’s hair to a wholesale shop called ‘Hair Development’ situated on the Mile End Road in Stepney Green in East London, where some of her hair is shelved and displayed. A charming hairdressing salon owner called Simon Forbes of ‘Antenna Hair Salon’ buys the hair and expertly places strands into some of his celebrity clientele coifs. Today a woman named Tamsin Williams proudly steps out of ‘Antenna Hair Salon’ after her hair is cut, styled and colored, a thicker, shinier and healthier mane of hair than she walked in with. A huge smile is on her face as she sees her own reflection in a shop window with the dream hair she always wanted. One thousand pounds well spent for her upcoming wedding day.

The rest of Amrita Mayekar’s hair is whisked away to the other side of the world, to 245 West 18^th Street, New York, to a place called ‘Picture Ray Studios’ by legendary hairdresser Guido Palau, sporting his trademark five-day-growth beard. He will curl, crimp, tease and colour match the wefts of hair, then bind them into the hair of a svelte model in a whimsical outfit, who goes by the name of Daria Werbowy. Her new hair is piled high and wide into a modern day Elizabethan hairdo with high drama. A giant fan is moved in closer to Daria, to create a gentle breeze, the effect on her hair and blouse has a fluid graceful movement, all in front of the sharp eye and camera of a photographer named David Sims. With every flash that pops and whistles, Daria Werbowy moves into a different pose, staring straight into the barrel of David Sims’ camera as he makes rapid-fire suggestions to Daria while a song called “VCR” by the band XX is blaring on the sound system. At a later date, at a building called Conde` Naste, near Times Square New York, seated at a sleek desk, a rather stern woman with dark glasses, sharp bobbed hair and a stoic expression will approve these photos and the elegant hair that Guido Palau has created. They will be a part of fashion spread in a magazine called Vogue.

Back to Amrita Mayekar in Tirupati, India – she made a pilgrimage to a temple to perform a ceremony to put aside her own pride and vanity, and to ask the Gods for health and happiness in the future. As it turns out not only her health and happiness is achieved. At T.T.D, auctions of human hair fetched revenue of $25 million for the temple in 2007. TTD in turn gives free accommodation in Tirumala and Tirupati to pilgrims. It also provides free meals. The canteen has a capacity to feed 20,000 pilgrims a day. TTD also has more than 12 colleges and schools, as well as two hospitals.

And what of the estimated circulation of 1.2 million Vogue magazines distributed monthly around the world. The fashion industry it inspires and supports makes $400 billion a year and creates millions of jobs for young creative’s such as make-up artists, fashion designers, hairdressers, illustrators, fashion writers, magazine editors, fashion buyers, advertising agencies, and fashion bloggers, to name a few. The American cosmetics and beauty industry alone totals over $20 billion in sales and is dominated by hair and skin care products that are heavily advertised in print and on television, creating even more jobs.

Little does Amrita Mayekar know how much happiness she has given, and financial benefit to the town of Tirupati and the rest of the world. Her simple selfless act has and will reverberate around the world.