In fashion, as with history, there are events that punctuate a moment in time. In my world, it’s hairstyles of the rich and famous that captured the imagination and style of the moment.
By Joh Bailey, Celebrity Hair Stylist
Top 10 Hair Moments that Turned Starlets into Stars
- Coco Chanel and the original power bob. A timeless classic that works even today. Chanel’s look gave women freedom and comfort without compromising style. Hair with movement was born. Until this time, hair was teased and styled. Coco introduced us to carefree, modern hair.
- Mary Quant and the Vidal Sassoon sharp asymmetric bob. Hair was worn flat and straight for the first time. To this day, this mod look is still called the ‘Mary Quant’.
- Twiggy and Mia Farrow with the Gamine crop. Boyish, impish and a playful twist on the boy cut. It was previously unheard of in elegant circles to wear hair this short. Both these looks completely amplified the mood of the times.
- Jackie Kennedy and her power beehive. Polished and perfect, this look sent millions of women to the hairdresser to have their hair set. Created by Mr Kenneth of the Waldorf Astoria, the legendary celebrity hairdresser of his time, this look single handedly revived hot rollers and hairspray across the globe.
- The late Farrah Fawcett’s flick. This is my personal favourite. Big and bouncy and all about the perfect cut. Long hair taken to a stylish new level after the hippy years of long, ironed-out hair. Who didn’t want that hair?
- Linda Evans’ power shoulders and wings. This was the look when I first started out in hairdressing and the only look women wanted. No warmth, no life and bleached to grey! This look created a new hairdressing term called frosting.
- Bo Derek’s perfect 10. Whilst her cornrows are still popular on the streets of Kuta, surprisingly, this was never a look adopted by the ladies who lunched in Double Bay.
- Lady Diana Spencer’s ‘Lady Di’. Before she was the Queen of Hearts, hers was the most copied hairstyle in the world. We’re talking pre-wedding, with soft layers and highlights. Every single client, young and old, fronted up with a picture of this infamous do for copying. Perfectly set off by high lace collars and the lady-like chic fashion of the time.
- Jennifer Aniston and ‘The Rachel’ welcomed back the professional blow-dry and layering. Long, layered and very 90’s. The effortless girl-next-door look is not easily re-created at home but managed to get everyone back to the hair salon for golden, sun kissed and healthy looking tresses.
- Victoria Beckham’s POB. This style icon single-handedly boosted hair dressers’ earnings with her chop. In a time when everyone favoured long Boho hair (the look she actually made popular with those hair extensions), Posh Spice bucked the trend and emerged with the POB closely followed by the ‘chop’, a revival of Mia Farrow’s gamine cut.
Style tip: some people are up for big changes and others find a look and stay with it. I’ve always worked with my clients to find their signature cut and help them evolve it through time.
