Second anniversary

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1920's inspired hair, 1970's inspired hair, Billio, Evripidis, Giorgina, Jamie, Panagiotis X., Valisia

Happy second birthday blog! Last year I used outtakes from projects I had already worked on for the anniversary post. This year I wanted to create something (shiny and) new. I worked for three weeks on this project. The first idea that came to mind (and the one that I stuck with) was that I wanted the pictures to be shot in a theatre. I wanted six people to look like a theatre troupe but I didn’t have a specific play in mind. My main inspiration was the Cockettes.

Taken from Wikipedia:                                                                                              The Cockettes were a psychedelic drag queen troupe founded by Hibiscus (George Harris) in the late 1960s in San Francisco’s North Beach neighbourhood. The troupe performed outrageous parodies of show tunes (or original musical comedies in the same vein) and gained an underground cult following that led to mainstream exposure. In 1971, over differences in philosophy, the group split into two separate groups, the Cockettes and The Angels of Light. The Cockettes continued to work as paid performers while the Angels of Light chose to do free theatre without admission charge.

various images of various Cockettes, in the early 1970′s (couldn’t find credit for the pictures).

I initially was inspired by both original pictures of the Cockettes and pictures of an homage Steven Meisel paid to them in Italian Vogue (The couturettes – a huge fashion editorial in September 2006). I then started looking elsewhere for inspiration (keeping  the 1970′s theme) and ended up referencing hairstyles and make-up from all over the place. From an obscure 1970′s French film to John Galliano’s Dior spring 2004 couture show. My main concern was that I wanted to do something that would look like it was done in 2013 though I was just going to reference things from the past. It was the clothes that Meti (the main stylist) came up with that made sure the whole thing was going to look contemporary.

After shooting my imaginary play on the stage of Embros theater, I wanted to take some pictures backstage, as if they were taken before or after the show. Portraits instead of group shots, so I could give everyone the credit they deserved. A lot of people worked hard on this and I would like to thank everyone for making my vision come to life, especially the people of Embros theater for letting me work in such an amazing space and Vagelis Sagris for using the lighting control console, a.k.a. being the director of photography.

Billio is a dancer and the hair inspiration behind her look was actress Florence Bellamy playing Lucrezia Borgia in the 1974 film Contes Immoraux, directed by Walerian Borowczyk. I wanted to simplify the back and just pulled the hair in two low ponytails, one under the chin and one at the nape of the neck. Androgyny is something I wasn’t afraid of for my project because the real Cockettes were gender-bending anyways. Aphrodite Misiakouli did Billio’s make-up, assisted by Lois Papadopoulou.

Actress Florence Bellamy playing Lucrezia Borgia in the 1974 film Contes Immoraux, directed by Walerian Borowczyk.

The inspiration behind Giorgina’s hair was the hairstyle actress Darlanne Fluegel wore as Lulu at the gallery opening scene of “Eyes of Laura Mars”, directed by Irvin Kershner (1978). Again, I wanted to simplify the back and instead of the accessorized French twist, I went for a small bun low at the back. Katerina Mitropoulou did Giorgina’s make-up, assisted by Irini and Christina.

Actress Darlanne Fluegel as Lulu in ”Eyes of Laura Mars”, directed by Irvin Kershner (1978).

Valisia has a similar hair colour to (a very famous image of) one of the actual Cockettes, Goldie Glitters. Obviously, that was the inspiration behind the look. I just wanted to do sexy 1970′s wavy hair instead of the 1970′s turquoise afro. Irini Georgopoulou and Christina Tzani did Valisia’s make-up.

Cockette Goldie Glitters, photographed by Gilles Larrain in the early 1970′s.

Panagiotis X (above) and Jamie’s (below) hairstyles were inspired by girls’ hair during the 1920′s. This is 2013 doing the 1970′s doing the 1920′s. Panagiotis’s make-up was done by Aphrodite Misiakouli, assisted by Lois Papadopoulou. Jamie’s was done by Aphrodite Misiakouli, assisted by Lois Papadopoulou, Irini Georgopoulou and Christina Tzani.

Evripidis’s hair I kept much simpler shape-wise but I went crazy with colours. I used blue finger-paint and a ton of glitter for his middle parting. His make-up was done by Aphrodite Misiakouli.

I shot so many pictures that I went through again and again in order to make final choices for what was going to be used and when I showed them all to my friend Bibi, she suggested I make a video out of all them. This is a labour of love.

Sofulla

Tags

1950's inspired updo, afro hairstyle, Bjork, bjork hairstyles, Sofia, updo

I cut Sofia’s hair something like a month ago and I got the idea that I wanted to do something Bjork-inspired with her for my blog, as I think there is some sort of resemblance between them. This look was inspired by two really iconic Bjork hairstyles, both from the early 1990′s. The first one is the two big buns she wore in a lot of photoshoots and appearances while promoting the album “Debut” in 1993 and the second one is the little buns she wore in the videos for “Venus as a boy” and “Big Time Sensuality” plus a lot of photoshoots and events, in 1993 and 1994. I created six buns and the two buns on the sides were bigger. My main focus were the parting lines, which were not random at all. Marina Stat did an amazing job with all three make-ups.

Bjork’s picture from 1993 hanging on someone’s wall (couldn’t find photo credit for the picture).

Bjork photographed by Juergen Teller for the “Big time sensuality” cd single in 1993.

The inspiration behind the second look is a little bit more obscure. Juergen Teller photographed Bjork in 2001 for Self Service magazine. She changed a lot of hairstyles for that rather experimental (one of my favourites) shoot and one of them was a 1950′s  inspired, kind of androgynous updo. I kept the 1950′s element but instead of doing something vintage looking, I tried to make it fresh and new. I did two french twists at the back and a roll at the front that was brought towards the right side.

Bjork photographed by Juergen Teller for Self Service magazine in 2001.

The inspiration behind the third look was the 2011-2013 Biophilia afro. Bjork’s been wearing these wildly coloured afro wigs for the cover, the videos and the tour in support of Biophilia. For Sofia’s brown hair I wanted the same texture as Bjork’s hair but I wanted it to be flatter at the top, also inspired by the hair at the fall 2013 rtw Rick Owens show. Marina went beyond my imagination with the make-up and these pictures remind me of a priestess about to begin a religious ceremony.

Bjork live in Paris, early 2013, photographed by Vera Palsdottir for bjork.com.

Models backstage at the fall 2013 rtw Rick Owens show. Photo by Luca Cannonieri.

Jamie 4

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Hitler youth hairstyle, Jamie, men's haircuts, short back and sides

Jamie wanted me to cut his hair and he gave me total freedom to do whatever I wanted to do. A short back and sides done with clippers is something we’re so used to seeing by now, as almost every boy I know has had it done at least once in the last seven years. But what about the “shortest back and sides”? I was clearly inspired by military haircuts, where the hair at the back and the sides is almost nonexistent. This is taking a hitler youth haircut to the next level.

George R. and the little man bun

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George R, man bun, men's haircuts

Let me start by saying that I was never a big fan of the man bun. I’ve been cutting George’s hair really short at the back and the sides and leaving it long on top for quite some time. This time we agreed to do something different and I convinced him to leave a circle of longer hair at the crown of his head, instead of chopping it all off at once. I then pulled that circle up in a small man bun and I have to say, I quite like this version of it. This won’t work on everyone though. I’d rather see a shabby boy with an overall unkempt appearance sporting it, I wouldn’t like it on a hipster.

Nicolaich

Tags

early 90s hair, men's haircuts, Nicolaich

The first thing Nicolaich said to me before I started cutting his hair was that he wants to grow it longer. He already had this 1990s type of haircut (curtained hair), so the challenge for me this time was to somehow update it and make it something new, plus keep as much length as possible. I got rid of the fade at the back, opting for a curved line that morphed into a v-line at the sides. I also took a lot of weight off the back because I didn’t want the cut to look feminine. I finished by spraying a tiny bit of a sea-water type of product, just to give the hair some texture. Nicolaich is moving to London today, so I wish him all the luck a boy could need when making that big a change.

Zisis and the mint green

Tags

crazy color, crazy colour, men's haircuts, mint green hair, short back and sides, Zisis

I cut Zisis’s hair really short on the back and the sides (with clippers) and left the hair on top longer. I then proceeded to bleach the longer hair (keeping at least 1 cm of his natural dark brown intact) and then applied a pastel mint green colour. I wanted to do a mint green for so long and we’re both happy with the outcome.

Maria M. as the dominatrix

Tags

beach hair, layered haircut, long fringe, long hair, Maria M, natural wavy, women's haircuts

I cut Maria’s hair and this time the fringe was kept longer and blunt (which she persuaded me to do – she messes it up with fingers every two seconds anyway), I cut a lot of layers in the front  and I added  layers at the back too. I gave her this cut because I thought it would really look good when air dried. For the pictures I wanted the hair’s natural wave and I also wanted it to look piece-y. So I used a sea-water type of spray and basically let it air dry. I wanted  the hair to be the only soft and natural looking element surrounding Maria in the photographs. This contrast does accentuate these two qualities. Marina Stat did the make-up. The amazing sequin backless body Maria’s wearing was designed by the amazing Apostolos Mitropoulos.

Andromachi and her pastel peach colour

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Andromachi, crazy color, crazy colour, natural wavy, pastel peach hair, peach hair

First of all this is not ombre. It’s a colour (consisted of many different colours) with dark roots and we shouldn’t mistake the one for the other, as they are two totally different things. Andromachi got bored of dying her roots blond all the time and just let them grow some time ago. Her base was a honey blond that was much lighter at the ends. I worked with aluminium foils and alternated four different colours to get this pastel peach. I used a pastel pink, a pastel salmon (pinkish orange), a pastel lemon yellow and a pastel lavender. The lavender basically neutralized the pre-existing yellow, resulting in the fourth colour being a white blonde. In the last picture though, that was shot inside, you do get a sense that there is some sort of light purple in the mix. And that’s what I love about this technique and result. The colour tends to look slightly different depending on where you parted your hair or what the lighting circumstances are. As far as styling goes, I used my thickest curling tong to give the hair a bend, rather than a curl. Marina Stat did the make-up.

Picnic with the Gibson girls of today

Tags

Charles Dana Gibson, early Edwardian hair, Gibson girls, gibson girls bun, gibson girls hair, Katerina M, Klea R, Magda, messy updo

It all started last May after I watched the 7th episode of the first season of Girls (go Lena Dunham!). Jemima Kirke (who plays Jessa) had the most amazing hairstyle (my favourite of 2012, I’d go that far). Then I watched this interview where Lena Dunham called that particular hairstyle “futuristic Victorian”. I did some research on late Victorian and early Edwardian hairstyles but British hair history aside, I kind of forgot about it. Then, six months later my friend Olivia sent me a video of Fleetwood Mac performing “The Chain” live and we were both trying to understand what Stevie Nicks wore her hair like in that video. Then Olivia did more research and came back to me with the news that Stevie Nicks’s inspiration were the Gibson Girls.

Taken from Wikipedia: The Gibson Girl began appearing in the 1890s and was the personification of the feminine ideal of beauty portrayed by the satirical pen-and-ink illustrations of illustrator Charles Dana Gibson during a 20-year period that spanned the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in the United States. The artist saw his creation as representing the composite of “thousands of American girls.” The Gibson Girl image that appeared in the 1890s combined elements of older American images of female beauty, such as the ‘fragile lady’ and the ‘voluptuous women.’ Her neck was thin and her hair piled high upon her head in the contemporary ”waterfall of curls” fashion. She was a member of upper class society, always perfectly dressed in the latest fashionable attire appropriate for the place and time of day. The Gibson Girl was also one of the new, more athletic shaped women, who could be found cycling through Central Park, often exercised and was emancipated to the extent that she could enter the workplace. Gibson depicted her as an equal and sometimes teasing companion to men. She was also sexually dominant, for example, literally examining comical little men under a magnifying glass, or, in a breezy manner, crushing them under her feet. Next to the beauty of a Gibson Girl, men often appeared as simpletons or bumblers; and even men with handsome physiques or great wealth alone could not provide satisfaction to her. Gibson illustrated men so captivated by her looks that would they would follow her anywhere, attempting to fulfill any desire, even if it was absurd. One memorable drawing shows dumbstruck men following a command to plant a young, leafless tree upside-down, roots in the air, simply because she wanted it that way. Most often, a Gibson Girl appeared single and uncommitted; however, a romance always relieved her boredom. Once married, she was shown deeply frustrated if romantic love had disappeared from her life, but satisfied if socializing with girlfriends or happy when doting on her infant child. In drawings such as these there was no hint at pushing the boundaries of women’s roles, instead they often cemented the long standing beliefs many from the old social orders held, rarely depicting the Gibson Girl as taking part in any activity that could be seen as out of the ordinary for a woman.

I went through tons of photographs and illustrations of the Gibson Girls and decided to update their look by doing three variations. All three had to look as if a girl did them in five to ten minutes, something that a girl in 2013 can certainly relate to. The other thing is that I didn’t want the hair to be as wavy as the originals, preferring the girls’ natural wave (I only used a curling tong on Katerina). This is  the next step after the buns all girls have been wearing on top of their heads. The thing about this hairstyle is that you might think of it as a “grandma” hairstyle but actually worn by a young girl and being a little messy, it looks really young and fresh. I did Katerina’s hair really big and messy with the bun being tiny and flat and consisting of two twists of hair (second picture from top). This looks more like the hair in the illustrations. Klea’s hair has less volume but the bun is much bigger (fourth picture from top). Magda’s hair is not big at all and I let wisps of hair down all around her head, a cross between the “Jessa” hairstyle and Evelyn Nesbit’s hair (third picture from top). Marina Stat did the make-up. Today’s Gibson girls are not dreaming of a prince rescuing them. They’d rather steal his cup and drink from it. I would like to thank all the people that helped me out with the shoot. Olybia was our driver and let us use Norma (my favourite dog on the planet) in a shot. Natasha provided me with the perfect picnic basket and the amazing vintage “prince” cup (you always magically appear and save my ass at picnics, you know what I mean). Helen lent us the tablecloth. Kostas did the set design.

Jemima Kirke (as Jessa) in Girls.  My favourite hairstyle of 2012 and the one that started it all (could not find photo credit for the picture).

Jemima Kirke (as Jessa) in the second season of Girls (could not find photo credit for the picture).

A late Victorian hairstyle courtesy of Georgine De Courtais’s book Women’s hats, headdresses and hairstyles. This is too well-constructed and has the “grandma” effect we were trying to avoid here.

An early Edwardian hairstyle courtesy of Georgine De Courtais’s book Women’s hats, headdresses and hairstyles. This is the hairstyle I referenced.

Two of Charles Dana Gibson’s Gibson girls illustrations. My Gibson girls used the magnifying glass to find and collect insects. No torturing of small men in my story.

My favourite Gibson girl, Evelyn Nesbit, early 1900′s (could not find photo credit for the pictures).

Gibson girls at the beach, early 1900′s (could not find photo credit for the picture).

Marina P. 3

Tags

bob haircut, Marina P, short bob haircut, women's haircuts

Marina has been growing out her fringe and asking me to cut hair shorter for quite some time now. So we’ve gone from the shoulder length bob with the brow-covering fringe (2011) to a chin framing angled bob with a side-swept fringe (2012) to this really short angled bob with no fringe at all. I got rid of some volume at the back as the “mushroom” effect isn’t appealing to both of us. This time I cut the hair at the back of her neck with clippers, exposing her seagulls tattoo. I love this haircut as it can look as androgynous (the haircut of a prince – in the fifth picture) or ladylike as you wish. It all comes down to how you style it, what you wear and what make-up you have on. And whoever says it’s boring and you’re stuck with one look because you can’t pull it up, is obviously a fool because the first three pictures are evidence that you can look totally different in the same five minutes. And you definitely will, if you have a busy schedule and don’t use tons of hairspray.