Things are warming up in the land of award season, as the Grammy and BAFTAS set the tone for The Oscars on Sunday 26th February. Last night was the Elle Style Awards and I’ve been commenting on who was hot (and who was not so much) so I thought I’d choose my key ladies and see if you felt the same…
Alexa Chung
Alexa’s hair looks much fuller than normal last night and I’d say this was achieved by good use of colour and what is now her signature dip dyed ends and messy bob. She knows what works for her face shape and isn’t about to change anytime soon. The split fringe draws your eye down to her beautiful face.
Christina Hendricks
Christina loves to make a statement and after a rather sophisticated and polished look recently she went all out on a relaxed and colourful trend. The effortless waves work well and being tucked behind one ear adds interest without being too contrived.
Emile Sande
I’m a big fan of Emile, and her look is great but a quiff can be limiting! The blonde is a beautiful, clean and sparkling tone and the curl on the quiff has a good softness about it, which gives Emile a feminine edge.
Florence Welch
With Florence it is all about the quirky, vintage style, which she carries of with the vibrant red. Her hair looks healthy and had a beautiful shine to it – there is no drama here, just great hair and wicked colour. It’s no wonder Karl Lagerfeld has taken to her.
Gillian Anderson
Gillian went for a cleaner version of the hair worn at the BAFTA’s and while it is well executed I think the yellow dress is the wrong tone and the earrings make the entire look a little too ‘done’ for the Style Awards.
Leo
February 15, 2012 at 8:30 am
Leo Bancroft, ITV This Morning Stylist
Happy New Year! I hope you all had some time off to relax and chill out over the holidays! It’s not something I’m very good at to be honest, but I definitely found some time to hang out with my wife and kids, watch Chelsea play and have a few drinks. It’s not all glamorous being a celebrity stylist I promise…
Although I am actually writing this blog from New York where I’m out working and having meetings about a few different projects that I have in the pipeline. Can’t quite give you details just yet but I’ll share as soon as I can, it’s all very exciting and top secret at the moment.
Anyway, I was flicking through some magazines on the flight here and the media darling Kim Kardashian was pictured wearing a cool clip-in fringe. Now I love things like this; anything that allows real people to change and experiment with their style on a relatively inexpensive level. Kim’s fringe is a great way to try out a new look before committing or just for a glam change on a night out. There are so many different ways to try out a new look – Balmain do an amazing range of clip in ponytails and buns which are particularly good for those with fine or short hair.
My top tips for working with temporary hairpieces;
1,Try to work with day old hair and use your natural hair will have a lot more grip and texture. Failing this, use a texturizing product like Shu Uemura Liquid Fabric Spray to add hold and grip to your style.
2,Backbrush the roots slightly as this will help disguise the join between your own style and the hairpiece.
3,Work with two mirrors or ask a friend’s advice to ensure that any clips cannot be seen.
4,Finish by misting the style with some natural hold hairspray to ensure it stays in place all night. And work with a little attitude – wearing a temporary hairpiece requires confidence
January 11, 2012 at 3:34 pm
One for the guys…
So I hear there is a film out this weekend, Twilight – Breaking Dawn? I’m kidding, I haven’t heard about anything else for about three months. But seriously, as well as hitting media headlines on a daily basis Twilight has created a serious trend that has affected the fashion, beauty and hair industry massively. The dark gothic, black lips and lace trend that is all over the high street just now is a direct product from the Twilight trilogy.
But it’s not just one for the ladies – men’s’ trends have also experienced a major impact. Just looking at the images from the red carpet from the Breaking Dawn premiere; it’s clear that grooming is a major part of the appeal. The Twilight boys are all working a similar look – short sides, height and movement on top with light stubble. But don’t be fooled, this isn’t lazy stubble – this is impeccably trimmed.
Finish this look with a dapper, well cut suit and a hint of tan – but remember this is more vampire than Jersey Shore.
Leo
November 16, 2011 at 1:06 pm
I’ve just been flicking through the December edition of Vogue for some inspiration and came across the New York Cool feature shot by one of my favourite photographers Terry Richardson. I take inspiration from everywhere I possibly can; for example my recent Redken TRIBE show was totally inspired by all things digital and I wanted to portray the significance of social media in our lives with my looks. It’s always important in any creative industry to keep your eyes open; visit museums, read newspapers, talk to everyone you possibly can…
So anyway, Terry Richardson is the king of cool and he captures in images what I like to capture when I’m styling hair; natural, candid, raw shots with minimal (none if I can help it) post-production. Hair is a real thing, it’s not perfect – I love a few flyaway and imperfections. It’s edgy, grunge and very street style, which I love.
I also love that he doesn’t use conventional models, in my recent collection Starlight I went for a return to the 90s heroin chic but with a feminine 2011 twist with clean hair and fresh faced nude skin. I was actually inspired from all of the amazing street style blogs that have appeared over the past few years like fashiontoast, Style by Kling, Susie Bubble etc I love that there is now an outlet for young people interested in art and fashion and they’re now so successful that they’re sources of inspiration for some of the world\s best glossy ad campaigns!
I’d love to know where you find your inspiration and what makes you tick so get in touch and let me know!
November 14, 2011 at 11:29 am
I love this season – it’s a great excuse to go darker, bolder and more underground than ever before but in a sleek, contemporary way. The A/W 11 and S/S 12 catwalks were awash with glossy black make-up, sleek wet look hair and grunge style matte dressed hair so there is something to suit everyone and all levels of daring.
Wet look hair, as seen at the Alexander Wang S/S 12 show and on the downtown streets of New York, is big news and a really dramatic way to add edginess and attitude to short hair. It’s a simple look to achieve and won’t take long, just slick your hair back with argan oil and work with lots of attitude and eyeliner.
Grunge glam is also a key look for the coming season and can be worn and adapted in many ways. The most important factor is that there are no set rules. Hair should look unpolished and slightly messy, taking the bed head look to the extreme. The glamour factor comes in the form of shine. Hair still needs to be in good condition and the look is a combination of rough and glossy. You can use hair powders to slightly mattify, but on the whole, you want to look cool, not as though you actually have neglected your hair.
October 31, 2011 at 9:01 am
October 24, 2011 at 2:33 pm
This weekend marks one of the biggest events in the hairdressing calendar Salon International at Excel, London and it’s an amazing (but very full on) weekend packed full of all things hair.
In previous Salon International weekends, I’ve been working on the Fellowship stage doing hair demonstrations with Balmain hair or speaking with attendees about everything from photo-shoots to bridal hair. Events like these are great for networking – which is what the hair industry is all about; you’d be surprised at the amount of opportunities that come from ‘who you know.’
My favourite day has to be the Monday because that’s when all of the students come and it inspires me to see them so enthused and full of energy about hair – they’re so keen and excited about everything, and man do they love a goody bag! It reminds me of being a young stylist (which no doubt you will have seen on Channel 4’s The Salon) and always leaves me buzzing for the few weeks after.
This year I’m not working, I’m going just to enjoy the amazing shows from the likes of the guys at Sassoon and Toni & Guy and get inspired. I’ll also be visiting the Balmain stand to see what’s new in the hair extensions world.
And last (but certainly not least), in fact this is the bit I’ll probably be looking forward to most – is seeing the BHA Gallery to see my collection up there on the wall amongst the other finalists for Southern Hairdresser of the Year 2011. It’s always a great chance to scope out the competition and also see the amazing collections from the nominees for British Hairdresser of the Year – it lets you know as a hairdresser what you can aspire to do and some of the work these guys produce is unbelievable!
If you’re going and you see me there, stop and say hello! It’s going to be a great weekend.
Leo x
October 12, 2011 at 3:17 pm
I was on ITV’s This Morning showcasing the best way to style and manage grey hair. It’s a sensitive subject and lots of people are immediately frightened at the prospect of grey hair- but this shouldn’t be the case. Grey hair has never been as chic and on trend as it is this autumn/winter and with celebrities like Helen Mirren and Dame Judi Dench flying the flag for growing old gracefully, now is the time to learn how to make the most of your silver tresses.
It is important to understand why hair loses its colour in the first place; grey hair is a result of the body producing less melanin. It can happen at any time but it tends to happen more with age; as well as going grey, the hair also loses moisture and elasticity and will change in texture, which is why it can feel lifeless and thin. It is important to use a shampoo and conditioner which is specially formulated for grey hair; specialist shampoos will moisturise the hair but also clarify it to ensure pollutants do not build up giving it a yellowish tinge.
Here are my top anti-aging hair tips for colour, cutting and styling grey hair:
Overall it is really important not to get stuck in a hair rut, getting older does not mean you cannot experiment.
You can watch the video here
Leo
September 27, 2011 at 1:08 pm
Leo recently created another fabulous celebrity feature for ITV This Morning.
Viewers of the most popular day time programme where asked to vote on which 2 celebrity up do’s they would most like Leo to re- create live on TV.
Missed it?… Click the link below to see Presenters Philip Schofield and Jenni Falconer put Leo to the test!
ITV This Morning Featuring Celebrity hairdresser Leo
We love feedback so please leave your comments below!
June 21, 2011 at 9:38 am
Theo asked our Team to provide a range of stunning looks for his 20 Models on the night from 1920,s inspired styles to classic ballerina buns. We also created a Mary Quant inspired style and Theo and the quests loved them all.
The event was a complete success for Theo his new brand and also for us.
April 11, 2011 at 7:37 am
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