The mane thing for spring is change.
”What`s happening is that we`re going back to fancier, dressier hair,”
said John Jay of New Orleans, president of Intercoiffure America, an international trade group of top stylists in the United States and Europe.
Change in hairstyles is even affecting the toy industry.
”New York” magazine recently reported that Mattel commissioned some of the nation`s top stylists to create a hairstyle for its Totally Hair Barbie. Barbie will still sport long, blond hair, but it`s done up in a French twist on top, with hair flowing down around her shoulders.
The stylists have taken the shears to Ken, too. His mane will soon resemble Arnold Schwarzenegger`s hairstyle in ”The Terminator.”
For women, spring`s look is glamorous, said Jay, who owns a chain of styling salons in the New Orleans area. ”It`s like clothes this season; the hair has a more cared-for look. It`s more styled. I can best describe it by saying it has the sleek, cared-for look of Calvin Klein clothes. The way he designs clothes is the way I prefer to design hair.”
Roll with it
That look calls for a bit of setting, whether it`s a roller or a
”bender,” the modern version of rag curlers that have bendable rubber heat rods in them.
”Styles will be achieved through setting,” Jay said, ”and not with hair spray and gels. Starched hair is out this season. It`s a spinoff of the look (model) Lauren Hutton had. It is not the Joan Collins or Dolly Parton look.”
Maxine Kroll, owner of Maxine Ltd., 100 E. Walton St., said that the
”`80`s was a rough decade for hair. Stylists went crazy with heavy sprays, gels and styling tools in order to control hair.” For the `90s, she said, the focus is on lighter styling aids with an emphasis on ”wash `n wear” hair, hair that looks great in motion and requires little maintenance.
Color me …
Hair color?
Jay said ”Colors this season are more exaggerated. Blonds are blonder;
reds are a bit more fiery.”
However, according to color specialists at Maxine`s, dyed and naturally light hair often are damaged during summer activities. These hair types are sensitive to discoloring, such as turning green from chlorine in a pool or orange from hard water minerals.
Kroll suggested Clear Color as a solution, a special semi-permanent color technique designed to minimize damage from the sun, chlorine and salt water.
And Jay cautioned that women and their stylists should consider their ethnic origins before settling on a color. ”You can`t take an Oriental and make her a redhead,” he said.
What about straight hair?
”Only for very gorgeous women,” said Jay. ”And if she`s that gorgeous, she could shave her head.”
And for the men
Jay said he`s cutting men`s hair longer on top, closer on the sides
”with a traditionally barbered look.” He says sideburns are getting longer. He likes the sophisticated look.
”It`s the look of Gable, Tyrone Power, Sinatra,” he said. ”I expect the skinny mustache to come back any day.”
Jay said many men are having their hair styled to imitate the styles of TV soap opera stars.
”Long hair (for men) will not go away,” he said. ”All we can hope is that if it`s long it will be clean, neat and healthy. Hair should be good-looking.”
