By Patricia Campbell
After the dress, the hair and make-up are the most important elements of your bridal look. Consider how many gowns the typical bride tries before settling on The One it pays to lavish equal attention to the beauty side of things, road testing a few ideas in the months leading up to the big day. If youre booking professionals to take care of your hair and make-up, remember that a trial is usually included in their fee.
With this in mind, I have started to think about my dream wedding hair. Am I an up-do girl, or do I favour long and loose styles? Ive always suspected that I fall into the latter category, but after talking the matter over with Lockonegos resident up-do specialist Paula Chilton, she suggested that I might want to give an up-do a whirl.
Leafing through her lookbook, I spotted a stunning Jackie O inspired style, pictured above, and modelled by me below (although my version has a less ribboned effect)...
Paula has a special interest in iconic styles from the 30s, 40s and 50s, but likes to freshen them up with modern, flattering touches to ensure they dont look too staid.
Want to recreate Paulas Jackie O inspired style? Heres how:
1. Prep clean, damp hair with a thickening product such as Unite Boosta Spray.
2. Blow dry your hair backwards, directing from the roots towards the crown. Use a setting lotion such as Unite Blow Dry and Set Lotion. You can blow dry with a paddle brush for ease and to encourage a smooth finish, but youll need to follow up with a round brush to curl the ends.
3. Use a fine tail comb to backcomb your hair in small sections. Spray the roots with a brushable hairspray with good hold you need a product you can work with, such as Sebastian Zero Gravity.
4. Smooth the hair around the hairline towards the crown and star to pin the hair in a 20cm diameter circle as above. Spray lightly with hairspray to hold.
5. Beginning at the top of the crown ribbon the pieces of hair and pin them one by one, weaving them through each other. Make sure you secure each piece firmly with a Kirby grip, lightly spraying as you go.
6. Stand back to check. Its easy to get carried away with how fabulous the back or side view of your up-do is, but essentially you want to love what you see front on in the mirror. Once happy, spray liberally with hairspray to hold.
Pictured below is the final look, captured later that evening at Wiltons Music Hall. Thats the other thing about bridal hair: ideally, youd hope that it will remain intact after a night of champagne and dancing. Pleased to report, the Jackie O endured.
Paula Chilton is the resident up-do specialist at Lockonego, 394 Kings Road, London, SW10 0LN. To book an appointment, call 020 7795 1798.
Main photograph by Simon Harris.
