While many fashionistas adhere to wearing black, white or liquid gen-neutrals, the latest fad amongst the trendy is accessorizing with bolts of bright color. What normally comes to mind is footwear, handbags, jewelry or even tech accessories. But the latest eye-catchers are hairstyles that flow with color.
Fernanda Ly at Louis Vuitton
The rage for hair that glistens like sugary cake-icing has never been more intense. Locks of celestial rose, aquamarine and lavender drifted down the fall 2015 fashion runways. At Louis Vuitton, Fernanda Hin Lin Ly walked out in a huge, fluffy-white coat and tresses the color of bubble gum.
The princesses of pop music—Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Rita Ora, Demi Lovato—have all experimented with neon lavender, sea-foam green and soft periwinkle. Perry might trace her love of the palette to the artist and confectioner Will Cotton, who depicted the singer lounging on a bed of pale pink cotton-candy clouds in the cover art for her 2010 album “Teenage Dream.”
And the latest act of attention-seeking is up to its armpits with entertainers and every day trendsetters who even dye their armpit hair. The New York Times devoted an entire article, titled Women Who Dye Their (Armpit) Hair to the trend in July of this year.
After surviving being shell-shocked by this latest act of defiance, we are starting to see examples of dip dyeing and multi-colored fur coats on the runway.
As with nymphs or mermaids or anime heroines, the head is now a canvas for any color of the rainbow. It’s an attempt to stand out without looking harsh, and hardly as permanent as tattoos. It’s a soft kind of rebellion. And before too long, it too will be gone.