Anna Hunter reports on the fashion faux pas seen at Paris Fashion Week
And so the final curtain falls on Paris Fashion Week and we're left desperately coveting a toughened up Chanel tweed jacket and a cosy, pastel Céline coat, not to mention a fresh Chloé girl glow. As the spotlight dims on the City of Lights, however, there are a few catwalk looks that we'll be leaving well alone, and these mainly fall in the hair category. For a capital as distingué as La Belle Paris, the follicular faux pas was a surprisingly frequent occurrence.
Being a fervent fringe fan, I'm more than partial to a bit of forehead foliage, but most will agree that the hefty bangs wafting down the catwalk at the Belgian designer AF Vandevorst's show were in urgent need of a trim. If excessive fringes have illegal status on the roads (seriously, there have been major safety warnings regarding driving with such hair hazards, I should know), they should probably be avoided on the runway too. There's nothing glamorous about the blind leading the blind in sky-high heels; the show could easily have triggered a domino-model effect.
Next on the list of coiffure crimes is Haider Ackermann, who sent his models out with wild, bleached tufts and black, felt-tip penned roots, in the manner of Edward Scissorhands only without the hands. In fact, it seemed that wild, dragged-through-a-hedge-backwards ’dos were the flavour of the week en France, as both Junya Watanabe and Gareth Pugh embraced the extreme bed head. Watanabe seemed to channel Annie The Musical with his haphazardly balanced curled wigs, while Pugh combined mussed up greasy styles with zombie style make-up.
Also on the list of 'don't try this at home' hairstyles were the frizzy, face-obscuring manes seen at Rick Owens and the spray painted swimming cap-style pin curls witnessed on the Givenchy catwalk. By far the worst offender, however, was the enfant terrible Jean Paul Gaultier, whose models sported half wigs atop their heads in the form of acrylic mullets, which were designed to clash with the models’ own hair colour. Bushy, statement brows are one thing, but toupés are quite another JPG. When the supers look a bit silly, it's probably not a look to lust after.
Despite the hair horrors that we've witnessed, it's worth heeding the wise words of legendary backstage stylist Guido Palau (partly responsible for said Jean Paul Gaultier mops): “It's not meant to be serious, it's just a bit of fashion fun.” Fashion weeks are fantasylands where anything goes, each show a fairytale envisioned by its designer. Not all of them have pretty endings, and we wouldn't have it any other way. Such perfection would trigger a case of serious Parisian ennui.
If you fancy a bit of fashion fun yourself, avoid a horrifique hair ’mare and take a trip to Hershesons where you’ll find a fabulous array of elegant hair pieces, wigs and extensions to update your look and ensure you’re en vogue this season and beyond.