Over at Mercedes-Benz Fashion week Wednesday, Sexy Hair teamed up with Betsey Johnson to create lavish, modern-day Marilyn Monroe looks for Johnson’s Spring 2015 Fashion “Marriage Equality” stunner show.
I love Betsey – I interviewed her here once – and these super-feminine, touchable, very Rita-Ora-esque delicious styles are so perfectly her. Sexy Hair’s Artistic Creative Director, Rafe Hardy, along with Nadirah Volpe, Master Artist and Institute Courage Coach (doesn’t everyone need one of those?) came up with these gorgeous ‘do’s for Johnson’s “Marriage Equality” runway. Here’s Volpe’s step-by-step- don’t be intimidated by these directions – I’ve done them and once you get it down, these are adaptable, beautiful, lasting styles. I’m a fan of any instructions that include “backcomb heavily.”
1. Separate hair across back of head from top of ear to top of other ear. Clip top half out of the way.
2. Create a French braid on bottom section using a small amount of soy paste for control. Braid should start on top of one side and move across to opposite side, then turn back around at nape back to the side you started. Ends should be tucked between the two rows of braids and secured with pins. This will provide a very strong base for pinning ends of your faux bob.
3. Curl hair into a traditional set (on base figure 6 curls all facing downward with top Mohawk section curled toward back). For longer hair use a 1 inch iron. For shorter or more heavily layered hair, use a 1 1/4 inch iron. Spray each section LIGHTLY with Volumizing Dry Shampoo at roots and spray and play on ends before curling. Do not worry about having super clean sections as we don’t want any visible partings.
4: Remove pins from cooled curls. Starting at the bottom, closest to the braid, begin creating bob. Using a teasing comb, elevate and backcomb each curl at base first, then lightly from mid-shaft down to base, packing in tightly. Use pick end of comb to gently rake through and define ends. Spread out base area with fingers and pin mid-shaft to braid so defined ends hang freely. Make sure pins are not visible. Repeat with each curl making site there are no visible separations or partings at base. For thick hair use Soy Touchable as a working spray while sculpting the bob or for fine hair use get layered. Note: when you get to the sides make sure the base is backcombed very tightly since there is no braided base underneath. Also, on the sides, if there are short enough pieces framing the face, do not backcomb these pieces. If hair is very heavy, braid should extend to the sides as well.
5. On top, after back combing each curl, take a small piece and direct to lighter side, then take the majority of the curl and direct to the heavier side. This will ensure there is no hard part on top. Depending on length of top, you may or may not need to secure these pieces with pins.
6: The two curls in the front will be the “fringe”. Backcomb HEAVILY if hair is very long, lightly if it is short, then use pick to smooth out outer surface. Make sure this piece covers forehead before being swept to the side. Finish style with Spray and Play.
Photo credit: AP/Invision (Alex Wyman)
