It’s one of the most opulent events on the social calendar; an annual celebration of fashion, beauty and courage through adversity.
Sydney’s Ivy Ballroom was most definitely in bloom last Thursday October 25th.
And, for a worthy cause.
One of the fashion sphere’s most revered events, the annual BAZAAR in Bloom soiree is held in support of the Royal Hospital for Women Foundation; with this year’s event garnering much needed funds for the hospital’s Perinatal Mental Health division.
Amidst a backdrop of whimsical florals, 28 garments found life upon a grandiose runway, with an impressive roster of Australian designers (Dion Lee, Stevan Khalil, Zimmerman, Alex Perry – to name a few) showcasing a series of stunning statement garments and one-off couture pieces.
On hand to curate the show’s hair looks were Hair Director Daren Borthwick and Lead Goldwell Stylist John Pulitano (fresh off his recent stints at MFW and PFW) who led the Goldwell team in fashioning two bespoke looks that were alternated across models.
“We have a lot of big florals and big dresses, so we wanted [to offset] both a soft and hard hair look,” said Daren. “We’ve looked a lot at the European shows and noticed the hair has been more groomed. It’s all a bit more brushed out; yet always polished – which is very beautiful”.
The first look? Soft and natural – with a hint of gloss. “Our first look is hair that looks natural, but is actually quite polished,” shares Daren. “Rather than create a grungy natural look, we wanted this hair to be more polished, shiny and groomed. We’re going for a look that’s not too crazy as the eyes are so dramatic”.
“It’s a natural, tuck behind the ear – which tends to be popular look with models backstage,” John continues. “The whole idea is to make it look as though the model styled her own hair – this can actually be quite hard!”
“To create the look we’re using the Kerasilk Reconstruct Regenerating Blow-Dry Spray (my favourite) from mid lengths through to the ends. We’re also using the StyleSign Ultra Volume Double Boost Spray on the roots. Generally it’s used for volume but [today] we’re pulling it really flat into the roots for added weight and hold”.
“After we’ve ensured the roots are nice and flat, we’re going to tong the hair – holding the ends up so that they stay straight. Once we’ve finished that process, we’re going through with the Kerasilk Smoothing Sleek Spray on the mid lengths to give more of an oily texture. We want it to look cool – not too pretty.”
The evening’s second look was noticeably more stylised; sleek, shiny and oh so Guido. “The second style is a slicked down look,” says Daren. “For this look we’ve created [stark] graphic lines and a hard, shiny surface [set against] soft waves and plaits. It’s a [visual] contradiction”.
A feminine take on the wet look, this style drew cues from this season’s Alexander McQueen show, which saw hair director Guido Palau create a sleek, central part, two braids and gelled front tendrils.
“For the slick look we used the Style Sign Powerful Acrylic gel,” Daren revealed. “It’s a great product that’s perfect for creating shine, but still workable with a brush; it really holds the look in place”.
Looks were finished with a spritz of Kerasilk’s Fixing Effect Hair Spray – to ensure hair was ready for the runway while a selection of models were also styled with floral head dresses.
Until next year…
Visit: www.goldwell.com.au