1. Ponytails whether it’s messy or high the ponytail is here to stay
2. Berry Lips we love the color and the darker it is the more we love it
3. Suit Up Mary Kate & Ashley are just a few to name that wear the women suit and it looks powerful!
4. Leather everything, I mean it from top to bottom you can’t go wrong with Leather.
5. Side parted hair looks classy and cool, as seen on Helmut Lang runway show.
September 11, 2012 at 5:29 pm
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
As part of Leo’s summer residency, he took part in an amazing makeover with This Morning viewer Sara Jane. Sara Jane had lost her confidence and with the help of the ITV Summer makeover team – she was completely transformed. As well as new teeth, facials and a new wardrobe, Leo completely transformed her lifeless locks. From over ten years of experience in the industry, Leo knows that hair plays an important part in how we feel about ourselves and how self-assured a person we really are. Leo began by adding a deep violet shade through Sara Jane’s style which added shimmering shine and lots of depth, making the hair look super lustrous and healthy. Afterwards, he trimmed Sara Jane’s hair, as she hadn’t had it cut for over two years! A good cut is the basis of any great style – it adds bounce and helps add volume as long hair can be very heavy and lack movement. He then curled her hair using a wide barrelled wand, and pulled it to the side creating a glamorous yet flattering vintage inspired look.
The makeover wasn’t about making Sara Jane look prettier or more attractive, it was about instilling confidence and taking her back to the assertive person she had once been. After the makeover Leo noticed a remarkable change in Sara Jane’s demeanour; “Sara Jane instantly stood up straighter and looked far more happier within herself. I love being able to be part of such a change – we see it everyday in the salon, women leave happier and more confident. Hair is a very big part of this.”
To watch Leo in action on This Morning CLICK HERE
January 1, 2012 at 10:24 am
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
Last weekend, the Leo Bancroft team travelled to the beautiful new Fetcham Park wedding venue to session style backstage at the launch event and catwalk. Now I won’t deny that often wedding hair and bridal shows can be so cheesy and really old-fashioned, but this couldn’t have been further from that, and that’s why we got involved. The dresses, make-up, flowers and venue itself oozed London style and we worked with the lovely Penny at Tigerlily, Emma at Miss Bush Bridal Wear and Laura at Fetcham Park to come up with a theme and style that smashed it. And well, to be honest, we did.
Check out the photo gallery below courtesy of the guys at efc photography (www.efcphotography.co.uk). We worked with different bridal styles including the vintage bride, the rock chick bride (definitely my favourite) and the natural bride so there was something for everyone and every look. I always say on your wedding day you should look like you only better – not like an entirely different person. I think the photos speak for themselves so have a look and let us know what you think.
Leo x
November 7, 2011 at 10:39 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
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
All this talk of fashion week has got me thinking about next season I’m excited to see what trends designers have for us this year. Models during New York Fashion Week worked the masculine look with slicked back hair at Victoria Beckham, bouffant up do’s at Diane Von Fustenberg and retro waves were a big hit at Zac Posen, so I’m looking forward to seeing what London can do. The Brits definitely do it best!
But what about models and their off duty style, they always look perfect whether they’re working catwalk glamour or off duty grunge. During the madness of fashion week the model’s hair will have to fight off damage from heat styling, changes in climate as they travel from city to city and general over styling and this is the time when a model needs her hair to look it’s best and nothing less. When I’m was working backstage I make sure all the models use Shu Uemura Silk Bloom Restorative Treatment, it contains Argan Oil which helps to repair the structure of damaged hair and soothe any flaws whilst vitamin e helps build strength, body and shine.
Off duty, most models will use minimal styling. Chanel Iman, Karlie Kloss and Jessica Stam are huge fans of the top knot an effortless style that is perfect for the girl on the go. The secret to perfecting the top knot is height. If your ponytail doesn’t sit high enough on your head it won’t work.
When model’s aren’t sporting top knots they’re usually opting for that ‘I just got out of bed’ look. Kate Moss and Dree Hemingway are huge fans of this leaving the hair to dry naturally is the best way to achieve this look although if unlike Kate and Dree you’re not lucky enough to have naturally perfect hair then a curling tong is your new best friend.
September 14, 2011 at 3:05 pm
Hi I’m Stella from Alison Jameson Consultants, the PR for the Leo Bancroft brand and each week I’m going to write a blog about all things hair, fashion and what the lovely team at the Leo Bancroft salon is up to.
It seems as though our summer has not even started, and yet here we are poised to jump on all that Autumn/Winter 2011 has to offer us.
It’s hardly surprising, considering the terrible weather that we’ve been suffering recently, that our attention is turning to upcoming winter trends. So as we wear away the last of the florals and bright colours, make way for gothics, pearls and fur (faux AND real).
And just as sure as we can rely on the appearance of a few ‘snow-days’ we can rest steady in the knowledge that glamour will be the words on all our lips, as Bottega Veneta, Isabel Marant and Frade all demonstrated in their recent shows. And this filters across to hair and beauty; big blow-drys, volume and height will be everywhere this season so invest in good styling products like Cloud 9 TheO and a round ceramic brush now and get practicing.
The high street has also been starting to filter through some of the most popular looks for the coming season, with Topshop almost making us wish the weather would drop just a couple of more degrees in order for us to justify buying one of their gorgeous ‘new-in’ coats. We say ALMOST, because after all it is still July, and the welcoming taste of a cocktail by the beach is beckoning…
And it doesn’t help when Chanel releases it’s quirky and cute AW’11 campaign advertisements, shot by the genius that is Karl Lagerfield himself. It has us craving more!
But until we reach those freezing temperatures that have us reaching for our Hunters, we better make sure to catch the few rays of sunshine that we have been treated with! After all, we will need a hint of a bronzed glow to make those winter clothes look fabulous…
Stella x
July 21, 2011 at 9:34 am
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