L’Oréal Professionnel’s Bob Recine puts the kink in Zac Posen’s Shaker Chicks.
Designer: Zac Posen
Products: L’Oréal Professionnel
What would Mother Ann Lee wear? This is the question designer Zac Posen posed when putting together his showstopping Spring 2008 collection, which he loosely based on an improbable muse—the celibate Shakers. Known for their austere, stripped-down lifestyle, these überstrict protestants couldn’t give a whit about a bubble hem or a rhinestone-encrusted bonnet. and they certainly wouldn’t preen over their hair.
But never mind that! Backstage, L’Oréal Professionnel’s Bob Recine nails down a look he feels Lee’s “Shaking Quakers” could sport: a traditional chignon spruced up with high-luster kinks. The super-stylist chooses to gather the hair into a low bun because “it’s clean and classical”—a nod to posen’s americana vibe.
However, Recine refuses to keep it too simple. “I wanted to modernize the look, so we decided to electrify the shape and give it structure by adding crimps,” he says. But before putting crimping iron to hair, Recine coats strands in L’oréal Pro’s haute couture-inspired texture expert Infinium 2 and 3. He explains that the sprays’ quick-dry formulas have a knack for imparting subtle sheen to locks—a plus for backstage styling.
To prevent his Shaker-chic girls from going the way of the ’80s, Recine brushes out the kinks, leaving the fluffed-up creases looking contemporary-cool. then, after literally sewing the chignons into place with an elastic thread and crochet needle, he allows the pleated ends to fan freely. “This way, the look is more haphazard than deliberate,” he explains. as the models glide down the runway, their kinked sprays of hair shake, shake, shake—just as Posen (and not Mother Ann Lee) had imagined.
Score This Look
Shake and quake with these L’Oréal Professionnel texture expert products.
Infinium 2 regular hold working spray: for dimensional glint and weightless frizz defense
Infinium 3 strong hold working spray: for fast-drying, brushable hold
