Friday 22 October 2010

The Bed Head is Back!

For the last 2 weeks Fashion Audit has been scouring the London Streets for iconic short and long haired styles, to no avail! Having researched what's in, what's not and what's definitely hot, Fashion Audit concludes that "bed head" hair is scorching hot and poker straight is so not. What does bed head hair look like? What are the key steps in achieving this look in the salon and at home? and who is currently wearing this look well?


The ultimate barometer of style has to be Kate Moss; she morphs from rock chic and bed head by day to a sophisticated slightly more coiffured look by night, effortlessly and of course for Kate, black is always the new black!  By the way, the James Brown salon off Wimpole Street in London will easily do the Kate look, mainly because Kate visits that salon as she and James Brown are childhood friends. Jessica Alba also does the bed head look well and with her amazing facial features and skin, has the ability to carry long and short haired bed head incredibly well.






Here we see Kate with the perfect long haired bed head look: soft, frizz free but tousled, almost wind swept and not precise.


These show a maturer Kate Moss with the shorter version of the bed head:








Jessica Alba here works the bed head well with a layered shorter style: tousled, messy and totally sexy!




Megan Fox does a more curly version of the bed head, with long luscious locks here:






So how would you achieve soft but tousled locks and maintain this look at home? I have many years of hair abuse: perming in the 80s, straightening in the 90s, and highlighting and glossing of late. To reverse all this damage, 2 years ago I discovered the Brazilian Blow Dry, also known as the Keratin Treatment. This is to hair, what antioxidants are to the skin: a return to the childhood state of your hair and prevention of frizz, static and the cardboard like effect you get from chemical abuse. If your hair is fairly porous, you will only need this treatment done every 6 months and not every 2-4 as suggested by the marketing. Thereafter, you can seemlessly achieve bed head hair by washing and leaving your hair to dry naturally (maintaining your hair's natural waves) and for more waves and curls, I either tie hair up in a loose bun once washed and when still slightly wet or use heated rollers after washing and when almost dry.


A product for the future, which I am in a desperate search for, is a Keratin Treatment with the ability to leave your hair curlier/wavier than its natural state: for more information, watch this space!


NB. Photos above have been extracted from the internet and can be withdrawn if offensive or requires permission.

Friday 8 October 2010

The Aviator Takes Flight

Originally created in the 1930s, with the objective of saving air force pilots from the freezing temperatures at high altitudes, the Aviator jacket is back and bang on trend. Unveiled at the European fashion shows of late Spring 2010, the Aviator has since been tantalising fashionistas by appearing in the fashion magazines far earlier than their availability on the high street. I for one, made a call to a certain high street store's buying office to enquire about when this style would hit the shops.

This week, Fashion Audit took to the fashion streets of London on an unusually and ironically far too sunny day for this style, and came away with the following conclusion. The Aviator is available in leather/PU, sheepskin and shearling. Each material has its pros and cons. For me, nothing looks more authentic than the real thing, so PU just won't do! Nevertheless cheap leather is far too shiny to make this look work, so that rules out a few of the Aviators on the high street. The ultimate look for me is a progression of the biker jacket (ideally not single breasted!) and unfortunately the designers do this look the best. However, I found a few very close versions on the high street and online - an almost distressed/worn finish with not too much fur or shearling.

Before I pass on the crucial top 5 list, a word of caution on working this look: given the volume, warmth and width of the Aviator jacket, wear as little as possible underneath. Simple, but chic flowy dresses in chiffon, or cotton or military style low crutched hareems in single, sultry colours rather than masses of or bright colours, with biker boots; think Alexa Chung and you'll be bang on trend!

By the way, this list is just my opinion and if you need more information please contact me directly.

1. Burberry or Acne (both designer labels and priced at @£1500)
2. Vila £60 (price tag suggests it's PU but distressed and really authentic)
3. Top Shop (with a huge selection under the leather and PU section, including gilets) @£60-£300
4. asos (has an unique aviator filter) prices range from £60-£350
5. M&S and Whistles @£80 and @£345

and other brands of Aviator that didn't quite make the top 5 but came close: River Island, Next, Oasis, H&M.