A twist in hairstyling

A fashion designer has months to prepare for a couture show. The hair stylist will have the chance to review the collection and the models in advance, but once backstage, essentially has about two hours to create hair that is runway-ready.

When styling for the runway, I like to incorporate a Balanchine twist in my hair design. Named for George Balanchine, the father of American ballet, the twist was a signature style of his ballerinas. I love it for its classic elegance and ease.

It was my good fortune to have Nikol Tavolacci agree to be my model for this article. She is in the training program at the salon and hopes to become a stylist.  She was also getting married at the end of August at a waterfront venue.

The opportunity to translate couture runway to the chapel aisle in a soft updo for the bride was exactly the inspiration I needed. Once again, there were greater forces coming to my aid.

Nikol is a lovely young woman with a gentle personality. Her beautiful blonde highlights could be swept upward into soft loops of hair that entwine with one another.

The beauty of this style is in its spontaneity, as I always allow for the character of the hair to give me direction. All it takes is a gentle touch with a soft hand to create the perfect hair for the bride on her special day. Nikol’s look was made complete with makeup rendered by Monica Robinson (an artist at the Warren Tricomi Salon). She created the right balance of soft blush and soft shadow to accent Nikol’s lovely features.

For fall, the coming trend is healthy hair with an abundance of shine. This is clearly the result of a revolution in hair products. Never before have we had such advanced technologies capable of improving the quality of hair.

I recently had a client who was in need of a color correction. Her hair was a drab ash tone with highlights that looked washed out. Her hair looked raw.

Fortunately, all of this was fixable. I created a tone that was right for her complexion, adding my favorite product, Olaplex, into the formula to rebuild her hair’s broken bonds. I redid her highlights, then applied a DIA Light by L’Oréal glaze to give her hair extraordinary shine, followed by another application of Olaplex left on her hair for 15 minutes. I then reshaped her haircut, using Fluidissime, also by L’Oréal,  before blow drying.

The results were amazing — beautiful tone, a luminous shine and a soft, touchable feel.  Totally on point for fall and always.

Fashion may move in many directions but the one constant is the source of a designer’s inspiration — his muse. Designer Bill Blass had an interesting perspective: His muse was always an imaginary woman. He would always work with the same fit models, but when discussing his style choice, he would always say, “she” likes this color combination or “she” likes this accessory, referring to his imaginary muse.

Be your own muse. When you choose looks that work for your body and style, it can help add a bit of spirit to the way you move. It’s a simple formula but an effective one — for making the right choice for you.

Need additional inspiration for finding your inner muse?  I hope you’ll join me at the Warren Tricomi Salon on Sept. 8 for Fashion’s Night Out. In addition to celebrating the season’s newest looks, there will be complimentary hair, makeup and skin consultations.

Visit Brian at Warren Tricomi Salon, 1 E. Putnam Ave., Greenwich. To book an appointment with him, call 212-262-8899.

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