Most stylists will tell you that the secret to an outfit looking truly phenomenal is good tailoring – but that's not just true of our clothes. Hair tailoring takes the same concept and applies it to our strands. And, as with classic tailoring, when done right, everything should look totally effortless (even though it's been discerningly cinched and structured).
In fact, there's a lot of symmetry between the impact our clothes and our hair can make. A shoulder pad can take up space and signify power, but so too can a whole ton of lift at your hair roots. Likewise, floaty silhouettes can feel romantic and elegant in the same way that loose, undone waves can. And, while stylists will take your skin tone, eye colour and attitude into account when deciding on the colour palette of your attire, a hair stylist will do exactly the same for your hair colour.
But alongside tailoring your clothes and your hair to you, they also need to be tailored to the event you're attending and work in harmony with the other elements of your look.
Case in point: Sofia Richie's stunning ensemble at the Coronation party this weekend, which she attended to cheer on her dad, Lionel, who performed for King Charles.
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Her hair stylist, Jay Birmingham, let GLAMOUR in on the co-ordination going on behind the scenes to get her look just right. The brief was a collaboration between me as the hair stylist, Francesca the makeup artist and Sofia herself," he explained. “I love working as a team like this to create an overall look and feel that works.”
Jay choose sleeker “off duty model, lived in-waves” to balance beautifully with Sofia's puff-sleeve fuchsia cropped jacket and matching cigarette pants from Parisian brand, Destree . “I blow dried the hair flat. This was a conscious decision as her outfit itself was quite loud, so bouncy, voluminous hair may have been overpowering," he explained. “Instead I kept the hair nice and flat to give a chic finish to her look. Of course Sofia is so beautiful that anything would suit her,” Jay said.
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Even the styling tools Jay used took a bespoke, tailored approach. “To style Sofia’s hair I used a mix of straighteners and tongs. This allowed me to create some waves that are straighter and some that are more rounded, creating different textures and movement throughout the hair. Specifically, he blow-dried her hair with the Dyson hair dryer, then followed up with the Babyliss Tong in 38mm and the Beautyworks straighteners. ”In terms of products I used the Colour Wow Pop and Lock [for a high gloss finish] and the Oribe Texture Spray [to create pretty texture]," he revealed.
So, for expensive, but effortless-looking strands, hair tailoring is the way forward…
For more from GLAMOUR's Beauty Editor, Elle Turner, follow her on Instagram @elleturneruk
