Why 18 Models Went Platinum Backstage At Alexander Wang
In a season where individual beauty is once again reigning supreme, it was jarring to walk backstage at Alexander Wang-and not just because all the models were sporting matching tee shirts (for the record they were white and graffitied with cheeky slang). There was a noticeable presence of seriously bleached heads; an army of blondes sporting short, shaggy bobs. You could tell right away they weren't wigs and the color was fresh. As hairstylist Guido later explained, 18 of the 55 models walking in Alexander Wang underwent total hair color transformations.
"I'm most excited about the makeover girls, it's such a fun thing to do," said Guido, who is no stranger to chopping off a young models' hair backstage at Alexander Wang. It's become somewhat of a tradition. "It's almost like [the models'] entry into fashion in a big way, they get these cuts and colors and things," he said. Basically, when Guido asks you to go blonde-you listen.
The bleached hair and roughed-up texture was meant to evoke the surfer girl vibe of the collection. All the models (not just the ones minted newly blonde) had their hair whipped into the kind of fuzzy waves only created with a bottle of salt spray. Guido used Redken Fashion Wave to create the kinks and curls, then used Redken Rough Paste to achieve a "chunkier" texture.
The color wasn't just one uniform shade of platinum, either. Victoria Hunter at the Whittemore House Salon, the lead colorist, left the models' roots dark and the ends lighter. "It's raw, it feels like it's been sunbleached," said Guido, noting that Hunter transformed all 18 models over the course of three days (let that sink in for a second). "The ends tend to go lighter in the sun with seawater. It's the ultimate surfer look."
As the models lined up for rehearsal, the full extent of the hair transformations began to take shape. Model after model sported a shaggy bob, platinum hair, or both, lending a palpable sense of cohesion to the show. And while we love the shows that celebrate a model's natural hair, it was thrilling to see the first dramatic hair look of New York Fashion Week. If you're looking for serious runway beauty, you can always count on Guido and Alexander Wang.
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