Runway Haircolor Went More Madcap Than Mainstream

 

Runway Hair Color

Trickle-down tress trends take their time maneuvering from the runways to the streets. Case in point: fantasy haircolor. Once reserved for NAHA photo shoots and stylists’ self-promotion, pastel shades and vivids now overrun both runways and Instagram feeds alike. But instead of simply choosing the obvious shades of soft pink, steel gray or riotous fuchsia—as was the wont of past seasons—runway stylists conferred with their color wheels and imaginations to introduce both interesting hues and ways to tint manes. At Anna Sui, R+Co lead stylist Garren chose a palette heavy on cornflower blue to reflect “Marvel superheroes ... it’s pop art meets Motown,” he says of the ethereal bouffant wigs. And at Mary Katrantzou, Redken global color creative director Josh Wood debuted two new patterned color techniques he’s calling “color clouds” and “horizon color,” proving that the runway can serve as a haircolor incubator, too.

Hair Color Trends

Though neons took top billing (witness an army of fluorescent mops at Benetton and Philipp Plein), when stylists sought high contrast, they turned to the two famous noncolors— black and white—for the biggest impact. Mixing Wella Professionals EIMI Sculpt Force with white powder, Wella Professionals global creative director of care and styling Eugene Souleiman painted asymmetrically cut wigs in the white paste at Jeremy Scott, leaving the ends pitch black to mimic the black-and-white tabloid covers that inspired the collection. Stenciled charcoal checks on a forward-blown platinum style at the PushButton show brought the microtrend of graffiti haircolor into the spotlight—a total checkmate for color creativity, if ever there was one. And that’s what it’s all about: creativity, and how you spin the outré for everyday behind your chair.

 

[Images: Getty Images]

This story first appeared in the January issue of Beauty Launchpad. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.

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