Acielle StyleDuMonde
“I think it’s a bit of a backlash to over-styling and over-coloring,” says hairstylist Adam Reed.
From the oil-slick hair pieces at Simone Rocha to the neat, glossy styles at Erdem, London saw an influx of shiny, sleek hair during the Spring/Summer 2023 shows. Adam Reed, the hairstylist behind the Erdem look, used the idea of art restoration that Erdem’s collection was inspired by. “We looked at how things were lacquered, so again we wanted that shine—this really beautiful satin finish. It’s all about how you layer lacquer onto products when you’re repairing and restoring. We thought about when things are heavily polished, but [added] that undone natural, gloss texture.” Reed created the texture for his “city slick” hair by mixing gel and oil together and painting them onto the top parting, to keep a soft feel after the section had been ironed with straighteners. “The gel and the oil kept the hair soft, pliable and slightly malleable.”
Meanwhile, the glistening black hairpieces created by hairstylist Cyndia Harvey at Simone Rocha sat on top of the models’ own hair, almost barrister’s wig-esque—appropriate for the Old Bailey venue. It curled under just at the chin and juxtaposed perfectly with the matte elements of the makeup. Harvey was also responsible for the combed back, demi-wet look styles at Nensi Dojaka. The dual textures of wet and dry highlight the collection’s subtle glamour.
What’s behind this wave of glossy hair for Spring/Summer 2023? According to Reed, “there is an element of real simplicity. A lot of the girls had versions of their own hair that looked healthy, shiny, and glossy. I think it’s a bit of a backlash to over-styling and over-coloring. People grew their hair during lockdown and it looked great, so they’re keeping that and working with it. Fresh hair, healthy hair, shiny hair.”
This post originally appeared on Vogue UK
