The runway isn’t just a place to showcase the newest fashion trends and designer brands’ collection launches. It has become a creative explosion that takes people into newly creative worlds—from Chanel’s Space Theme for F/W 2017 Runway, Louis Vuitton’s Escalator Theme in S/S 2013 Runway, up to Moschino’s Construction Zone Theme for S/S 2016. We know how these brands take the creative aspect of their themes seriously—and the beauty aspect plays a big role in it.
Marc Jacobs Spring 2019 Runway Show
Marc Jacobs isn’t new to such extravagant preparations, in fact they’ve had a fair share of runway awesomeness that captivated not only the catwalk audience but the entire world. An most recently, its Spring 2019 show brought the fashion and beauty world the greatest runway trend in the past years.
Antique Pastels were the focus of the runway—from clothes to makeup, all models have been splashed with the faded beauty of various pastel shades. But what filled the audience’s imagination with the transportive element was the beautiful harmony of the models’ hair and makeup with the luxury brand’s newest collection.
How did they pull it off? Simple—a pastel explosion of hair dyes!
A Big Hair Dye Project
An impressive total number of 35 models said ‘yes’ to dyeing their hair for the 1960s-themed catwalk. It was quite easy to get nods from the runway personas, yet the actual dyeing of all those hair is another matter altogether.
Guido Palau, Redken’s hair stylist, and Josh Wood, Redken’s hair colorist, were both given the quite intimidating task of getting the models’ hair the pastel makeover they needed. An added challenge to that? Every model’s hair should be unique and not like another’s.
In the biggest hair dye project that the hairstylist ever handled, a three-day preparation was necessary for the team. Bleaching was the first step for many, and until a few hours before the show, the two hair geniuses were still busy perfecting the tones of some models’ hairs. But afterwards, the payoff was immeasurable: after seeing a color revolution on the whole team of runway models, it became one of Guido’s proudest moments.
Anti-Unicorn Color
The antique pastel look on the models’ hairs was immediately dubbed as “anti-unicorn hair,” with its film star quality and the non-overt impact it brings. Moreover, the trend presented colors that expanded women’s options of how to have fun with hair dye in a refined manner.
The runway’s hair team pulled off such a fabulous work through an intricate process. Marc Jacobs himself matched the fabrics per model and had a personal say on whether a pastel hue is great or not. After his go signal, the hair team proceeded to bleaching hairs with Flash Lift added with toner. Layering came next, with a base coat of either platinum/titanium/purple metallic coat and then layers of different shades of pastel colors. This way, the color wouldn’t turn out as fun or fairground pastels, but antique pastels that look like they carrying much history in them.
Hair Candyland
The fabulous but refined collection of pastel hairs have been well-complemented by the models’ make ups, all thanks to Marc Jacob Beauty’s makeup expert: Diane Kendal. The individual makeup looks, personalized and customized per pastel hue assigned per model have let the hair of the models take the spotlight. With the modernly sheer and understated makeup looks, and the prominence of the huge, refined and lovely hair all around, the runway turned into a major Hair Candyland…and the world was all for it.
And while Guido highlights that the hair trend wouldn’t be a wearable and real-life trend, it is still relevant in the fashion fantasies allowed on the high fashion runway, on print, and even films. And until that time comes when it’ll be common to see pastel hairs on the majority of the population, we’ll always look back to the magical moment of the Marc Jacobs Spring Runway Show… our personal view of what a Hair Candyland must be like.
Featured image credit: Kelly Taub/WWD. Image credits: Marc Jacobs, Getty Images, Imaxtree, Kristina Rodulfo/Elle, Stephanie Saltzman/Fashionista, Serichai Traipoom/W Magazine, Kelly Taub.
