Backstage Beauty: Fall’s Top Hairstyles From Hair Guru Guido Palau
Unwashed hair is back, folks.
Getting through the Prada backstage security checks is harder than getting into the White House—or at least I suspect that might be the case. Once I get my clearance, I’m escorted along with other journos through the empty courtyard at the Fondazione Prada complex.
Outside it’s sunny, serene and quiet. Inside the backstage beauty area is a hive of focused activity as a team of hair and makeup artists prepare the models for the show. In the centre is Guido Palau, the veteran backstage hair guru and creative director for Redken Global. He and Cara Delevingne share a laugh before he moves on to check the braids on one model before making his way over for our beauty scrum.
“The show is about dark romance,” he says, immediately launching into his take on the look he created based on Miuccia Prada’s gothic romantic collection. “We’ve dyed a lot of girls’ hair black and some baby blond. There’s a nod to a gothic-y kind of girl with braids and some extreme haircuts that have been dyed black. There are references to the ‘20s as well, but then we also have some simple middle-parting pony tails at the show… It’s Prada’s subversive idea of beauty.”
When asked how the models who had their hair cut and coloured reacted to their new looks he said: “I think these girls are at the age when they want to be a rebel… they’re at a time in their life to experiment.”
Check out Guido’s other key looks he created for all four fashion weeks, from the relaxed “done” look at Alberta Ferretti, to the grungy cool cuts and shapes at Versace. —Noreen Flanagan
Milan Fashion Week
Photo Courtesy of Redken
Milan Fashion Week
Prada The Look: 20s-inspired “goth” bob captured the severe aesthetic that is a hallmark of Prada’s subversive take on beauty.
London Fashion Week
Photography courtesy of Redken
London Fashion Week
Burberry The Look: “This intricate gelled look is inspired by a much more elaborate version of youth culture.”
New York Fashion Week
Photography Courtesy of Redken
New York Fashion Week
Longchamp The Look: “Something we see a lot now is bringing back personality in hair,” Palau says backstage before the Longchamp show. He describes the hair look he created as “very cool and easy, the hair that every girl wants.” For curly hair, Palau suggests letting it air dry naturally and for straighter locks, adding a tiny bit of product for that perfectly-mussed up look.
Paris Fashion Week
Photography Courtesy of Redken
Paris Fashion Week
Christian Dior The Look: “The show is about the bucket hat, so the ponytail is a way of containing it and giving it some ease at the back.” Tucked neatly beneath Maria Grazia Chiuri’s many hats was a low classic ponytail worthy of a DIY attempt.
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