The Coterie news

This week has been intense, starting with a shoot at the weekend for singer Melody Gardot’s new album cover. Here’s what we got up to…

I changed Melody’s hair colour to a cool blonde, giving her a younger look. Melody has very clear visions of her music and image. We have worked together for some time now and it’s great that she trusts me.

We created very classic but beautiful film noir hairstyles. For the first I used L’Oreal Professionnel’s tecni art Full Volume Extra Mousse to create hair that I could manipulate into any shape – a good foundation makes the hair like putty in your hands. I then root-tonged the hair, and used a back brushing technique at the roots once the hair was set to the side. Using the flat of the tongs I pushed it into a 40s-inspired wave. Melody loved this look as it was stylish, sleek and sexy which is what she’s all about. The photographer was a very cool French dude called Nicolas Laborie.

I took the second style into my own hands. I felt it was time to up the ante and dress the hair back and expose Melody’s profile and neckline. So I did my thing and dressed the hair away from the face, keeping the hair tight at the sides while creating lift in the top section.  I wanted to create a timeless image that wouldn’t date, so I dressed Melody’s hair in a chignon; I had a vision of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s in my head. Melody absolutely loved this style. She’d initially been concerned about trying a style like this because she is very sensitive to light – this is why she wears glasses. A woman’s hair is like a security blanket so I was chuffed that she rocked this look. I’m sure you agree she looks beautiful, elegant and sophisticated.

Jools Holland and I were at The Palladium in central London at a concert before we shot a link for an award Melody had won – a German version of the Grammy’s. It was then off to the Jools Holland show live! Melody loved the up do I gave her. Check out her performance on YouTube – Melody Gardot on Later Live singing Baby I’m A Fool http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQJ5dxxYJBI&feature=email Other great artists on the show included Kate Nash and plan b. One word: goosebumps.

The buzz followed with my journey onto Manchester for the L’Oreal Colour Trophy. As promised last week, here are some quick and easy techniques that transfer from the catwalk to the salon. Hope you enjoy…

This first look was created by using the same techniques as the perfect ponytail, but I knotted the ponytail hair and ironed it to create this amazing texture that I love at the moment.

This look was created by micro-crimping the hair and styling it with a hairdryer and my perfect Shu Uemura hairspray. I only used four pins to secure it due to the prep I had done.

This look had a more editorial feel, taking the perfect ponytail into triangular sections, then again working with the knotting technique to create texture on top. I then dressed the hair into a rope braid to create a contrast in textures. To make this look more editorial I applied L’Oreal Professionnel Fix Move with a tint brush to the sides to give a real wet and slick texture. I love this look!

I’m always buying hair for shoots and shows, and have recently come across this amazing product called Thermofibre. It’s 100% human & synthetic hair that can endure heat up to 180 degrees; it can also be dyed, which gives you flexibility. What’s really great too is the price: it was just £15 and it does not have that artificial shiny look that synthetic hair normally has. Check it out at PAKS of London.

I was looking through my collection of books and found this one from Vidal Sassoon, Contemporary Classics. This book completely inspired my passion for hair. Looking back on it today it’s great to see how much hairdressing has moved on, but how the same techniques are still in use. The looks are timeless, which is what I love about the work Sassoon does.  This book is a must-have!

I’ve been asked to lead a team for the Central Saint Martins BA show this year, so at the moment I’m putting forward some creative tears and sketches. This will be very exciting; the shows that CSM put together are inspirational and exquisite, and I’m truly excited to be part of this. Keep an eye out for it! http://www.csm.arts.ac.uk/snapshot/

I saw this guy in the street (on the right) looking totally cool, rocking the look of the season. It’s an intense shape with a bold finish – very fresh, and can be worn by girls too!

I’m REALLY excited to be working with Zoe Irwin on Sunday at SALON SMART. We will be working on four catwalk trends – two from S/S and two from A/W10. They are wearable looks, but they will have real WOW factor!

I first met Zoe at a Coterie event were she was a guest speaker. She is an incredible woman. What inspired me was that she is so talented, but is cool about it. I also found her very approachable and easy to talk to. It’s great when people share their passion and knowledge – that’s why the Coterie is such a cool do, it gives the industry and beyond a chance to share and grow!

I have had such a great time blogging for The Coterie News! I have had some lovely messages and made some great contacts through it all. So much so that I’ve been inspired to carry on blogging – you can check out my new blog on my website that will be going live at the end of the month. Goodbye for now, and see you all at the Coterie event on Thursday next week!

I’ve had a blast!

Cheers,

Chris x

This entry was posted on Friday, April 23rd, 2010 at 11:43 am and is filed under Coterie Meetings, Events, Guest blogger, Stylists. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.