Feature - Hair Trends - Haute Couture AW2011

Couture has moved into the daylight of mainstream culture, thus shedding the shackles of prissiness. With a new breed of Couture client the new wave of designers are stepping up to the plate. Iris Van Herpen’s creations resemble vintage Thierry Mugler with a sci-fi edge that has Gaga written all over it. Stephane Rolland has some reverentially glamorous pieces, one part 30’s Hollywood, one part Cristobel Balenciaga.

The exquisite garments still hand worked by highly skilled seamstresses take thousands of needlework hours to create. Masterpieces starting at €10 000 are not for mere mortals, however elements of couture can be traced through the next season's ready to wear collections - a peplum skirt here a pussy bow there. This season also sees the reversal of ideas with Ready to Wear hair influencing the Couture runways.

Haute Couture hair resonates of a bygone era, of stuffy Parisian fashion houses and erstwhile bouffant Grande Dames. Unchallenged, the longstanding belief that Paris is the superior voice of fashion can be traced back to the 18th century, closed door policies and secret client lists still exist but unlike the creations and the clientele the hair is becoming more and more accessible and wearable.

The biggest transformation is the loose undone feeling. It’s still supremely technical and in some cases mind bogglingly difficult, however the mainstay of Couture Autumn Winter 2011 hair loosened its collar, undid its tie and revealed Couture can be cool. We all understand the basic rules of fashion, if you are rocking a statement dress then throw your hair into something casual, and play down the make up. Couture hair appears to have taken some of these modern rules and broken out into a new direction. Vive la difference.

Chanel headed up by Karl Lagerfeld set the pace with blonde fringes under hats, while lace fronted visors ramped up the wattage. The hair was more a nod to Coco herself rather than a typical Chanel Couture client. The grand bouffant love heart concoctions of the previous winter show looked stuffy next to this seasons peek-a-boo fringes striking forth from under the winter headwear. They were slightly too long for a fringe yet stable enough to balance the elegance of a Couture creation, the look was edgier and more London street than Parisian Couture.

At Valentino Couture the designer chose centre-parted, low, loose chignons for the show, a perfect accompaniment for the fluid shapes of the maiden inspired dresses. The front of the hair was dressed loosely with a slight wave lending it an ethereal quality. Around the back the low loose plaited bun was adorned with jewels wrapped in gold wire, not too perfect but perfectly undone. There is a huge degree of skill involved when dressing “undone hair” and when the stakes are so high it takes a masterful hairdresser to take the lead over a master couturier.

Elie Saab was as close to Ready to Wear runway hair as it gets, in stark contrast to the elegant grown-up dresses, the loose hair accentuated the strength of the beautifully beaded delicate pieces, which in turn made them appear stronger even more devastating. Side-parted loosely shaped waves glided down the runway; the nape had been dressed into loose rope braids and curls, all perfectly balanced. And that’s the trick, had they decided to kill it with major Couture hair the whole thing would have looked contrived and over-egged. What emerged was modern dressed down perfection.