Issey Miyake SS12 Catwalk: Two toned beehives

I like ti stay away from too much catwalk critique on Addicted to Beauty as a lot of it is samey samey and uninspiured. When  I saw images from the Issey Miyake S/S ’12 collection I knew I’d be breaking my unwritten rule as the look was so playful and uniqe it desrved some recognition.

They say it ‘was inspired by nature, especially the vibrancy of nature’s floral
palette, and the organic shapes of plants and flowers.’

OK, I can get behind that idea, but what tickles me is how they created petal shaped hats/ hair in graduated colours- women aren’ walking hydrangeas! It’s certainly striking though and we’re told by Wella guru  Eugene Souleiman just how she created this concept.

“The starting point to the hair look was the idea that I wanted it to look like the bulb of a tulip, something for the petal shaped hats to morph with so that it’s not obvious where the hat finishes and the hair begins. I wanted a look that was elegant but in a contemporary way and a shape that was both graphic and soft, which is why I created this sculpted swept back look which was streamlined to change the shape of the head. The addition of spray colour allowed me to bring to life the vibrancy of nature with vivid colours that fade and graduate; exactly as they would appear in the natural world”.

Cute explanation, but I don’t think this is a ‘try out at home’ look, as even if you got it right you’d still look like your hair was the ‘bulb of a tulip’. Hmm. If you must have a go, how to instructions are after the jump.

Get the Look:

1. Always start with freshly washed and conditioned hair, use Wella Professionals Enrich Shampoo
and Conditioner. Apply Wella Professionals Velvet Amplifier Style Primer as a base styling
product to smooth out the hair surface and prep the hair for subsequent styling products.
2. Blow dry the hair using a flat brush to smooth out the texture of the hair.
3. When the hair is dry, create a circular parting (around 20cm) on the top of the head, around the
crown, keeping the remaining hair free . Clip the rest of the hair out of the way.
4. Pull the centre section in to a pony tail and secure with elastic, taking the elastic along to
around 10cm of the ponytail to make it stand out from the head
5. Take a donut (sponge shaped hair accessory to help create a bun shape) and pull the pony tail
through the ring of the donut.
6. Pull the outer layer of the donut forward to form an aerodynamic shape and pin into place –
make sure that it is secure as this forms the foundation of the hairstyle.
7. Section the ponytail in to four sections, taking each section at a time, backcomb the hair with
a fine toothed comb from the inside of the donut to the end of the hair. Repeat with all four
sections. Spritz with Wella Professionals Stay Styled Finishing Spray to give a little more hold.
8. Take one section at a time and pull over the bun section and pin in to place around the edge of
the bun, then take the remaining end of the pony tail section and wrap it round the bun and pin
into place.
9. Release the remainder of the hair and section off the hair from the edge of each eyebrow on
both sides and clip out of the way.
10. Bring the remaining hair together and pull back towards the back of the head, spraying the
sides with Wella Professionals Stay Styled Finishing Spray and gently brushing with a small soft
bristled brush to create a clean, sleek finish.
11. Pull the hair up to the central point of the bun, creating tension in the hair to form a cone like
shape and tie with elastic and pin into the centre piece of the bun, pulling the remaining hair
forward and pinning flat to the head.
12. Take the front section of hair an pull back and upwards, back comb the inside layer of hair just a little at the roots to give it some ‘bite’ and then again, using hairspray brush the hair backwards towards the central high point of the bun.