Backstage Beauty: Alexander McQueen Fall 2012

At the Alexander McQueen Fall 2012 Paris show, Redken Creative Counsultant Guido nodded to the futuristic aesthetic that designer Sarah Burton embraces. The show itself was certainly all about storytelling, and Guido played a major role in helping create this story, choosing Japanese-anime inspired visors to give the girls an anonymity that put the emphasis on the fantastical clothing.

“The whole idea of this was I wanted to depersonalize the girls completely, and this was achieved by fitting them all with the exact same white/platinum wig. The wigs are like helmets with mirrored visors so it’s very futuristic looking. When I work with Sarah, we get involved very early on, and we decided here that the clothes have so much personality that the anonymity of the girl was very important. I looked at all of these cartoons and Japanese art for inspiration, and I really wanted a Manga [Japanese Cartoon] feeling to the girl so we came up with the idea of the visors. Then I thought, how do I minimize the hair yet make it uniform? So we the came up with the idea of the wigs. The wig was then cut into a bob and I’m using forceful 23 to really sculpt the hair so it looks like a helmet. There’s no reality to the wig – you don’t feel any sexuality or anything. It’s very cold and very modern couture.”
–Guido, Redken Creative Consultant

Products Used:
-guts 10 root targeted volume spray foam
-forceful 23 super strength finishing spray

Create the Look:
1. To re-create this look, start with the haircut: it should be a graduated bob that tapers at the neckline.

2. Apply guts 10 root targeted volume spray foam to damp hair and begin blow dry straight back, alternately using a flat boar bristle brush and a fine-tooth comb.

3. Apply a very generous amount of forceful 23 super strength hairspray to hair as you are blow-drying.

4. When dry, finish by spraying the find tooth comb with forceful 23 and raking back through the hair, and mist with additional forceful 23 to lock the style in place.

[Images courtesy of Redken]

Other Backstage Beauty Articles: Antonio Marras  |  Paul Smith   |  Catherine Malandrino   |  ValentinoPrabal Gurung  | Issey Miyake  | Roberto Cavalli   |  Alice + OliviaJill Stuart Marc Jacobs   |   Lauren Moffatt  |   Rag + Bone  |   Peter Som Fall |  Katie Gallagher   |  Rachel Roy  |  Christian Siriano  |   Derek Lam and Diane Von Furstenberg   |  Richard Chai   |  Houghton   |  Tadashi Shoji


 

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