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.

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.

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.