Hji goes backstage with babyliss pro at vivienne westwood

Last weekend we got to head backstage at Vivienne Westwood with BaByliss PRO UK. Paris Fashion Week is always interesting on the hair and beauty front as some of the biggest fashion houses showcase the most daring and off the wall looks to juxtapose the heritage of the huge brand names. And of course Vivienne Westwood brilliantly unique designs are always complimented with über creative hair and makeup that never seem to disappoint. HJ was lucky enough to go behind the scenes on the day of the show to get the lowdown on the hair look from the team themselves. The hair team for the show was headed up by the legendary Sam Mcknight. To understand the hair look, first we should delve into the inspiration behind the garms. “I play with colours. Lust, desire, sex and even sadness are best expressed through colours.” Says Andreas Kronthaler who worked with Vivienne for the collection. Colour and textures were bold and vibrant colours and patterns were running throughout the show, which took on a ‘more is more’ element. This was echoed with the hair. When we asked Sam what his vision was for the hair he referenced Bo Derek for the models with long hair that wore braids. The braids took all different shapes and sizes for each model and were adorned with an assortment of schoolgirl beads and bobbles. Said hair accessories were picked up in bulk from the local beauty supply shops in Paris. Models with shorter hair were given an extreme wet look. The top layer of the hair was curled with a BaByliss PRO Titanium Expression Conical Wand and then, once cooled, wetted down with mousse and tied down with a mesh scarf. Sam wanted the hair to look coated in water. Models with braids also got the wet look treatment with the front section of hair wetted with product and pulled in front of their faces in wisps.