Right in the middle of awards season, the hair at Badgley Mischka is the “antidote to the red carpet,” explains lead stylist Peter Gray for Redken Professional and Cutler Salons. “I love all the set, waves and the volume,” he explains of the Hollywood mainstay, “I just wish it were brushed out. It always looks sexier three days later,” he describes of the elusive morning after look. There are two very distinct types of women walking in this show—one is Melrose and the other is Rodeo. “We wanted to do that super glamorous L.A. look,” he says of the Mischka muse, “but just a bit softer and sexier.”
To turn models into day-after starlets, Gray goes for full volume. Alongside the Cutler team, he uses Redken Full Frame 07 All-Over Volumizing Mousse to prep, curls hair with a 1 ¼ in iron and sets using the Redken Fashion Work 12 Versatile Working Spray. Gray finishes with Redken Windblown 05 Dry Finishing Spray and Redken Powder Grip 03 Mattifying Hair Powder, adding the texture required to make any lived-in look convincing. For finer hair, where volume is a struggle, Gray goes into the roots with a tint brush and paints on gel; this is to ensure the greater proportions don’t fall flat. With waves more believable than ever, both L.A. ladies come out on top.
[Images: Emilie Branch]