Aestheticism Hair Show 2012 at Cafe De Paris

 International Creative Director George Akkad and Creative Director Andrew Thomas Corbett    Showcase there Avant Garde hair show  titled 'Aestheticism' at Cafe De Paris on Saturday 29th September.

 The hair show looks at the power of suggestion rather than a statement celebrating the cult of beauty. Throughout the show life imitates art as sensuality, linking to the Aestheticism manifesto.

 Aestheticism began by looking at the inter- relationship of beauty in hair, makeup and fashion with George and Andrew researching heavily the art movement of the same name.

 Working with textures, taking inspiration from ropes and nets whilst also looking into Arabic textiles along with local folklore. Exaggerated beauty is the dominant statement in this collection, with the hair reflecting poise and strength. Black clothes resemble divinity found in ancient folklore and legend.

 George worked with his team to manifest his concept of 'Total Beauty' which translates easily from image to runway. Set in an Avant Garde aesthetic, the hair transcends structural elegance creating fluid geometry. The pieces were constructed using synthetic hair treated with hairspray creating the nets, twists and basket weave.

 Being a creative & visionary to me implies a constant search and desire to create new frontiers with hair. Being receptive to stimuli all around me means I can create freely using hair as my means of expression." states George. This mindset along with the cohesion of products, hair, clothes and makeup makes Aestheticism a powerful collection.

The Return of McQueen

Alexander McQueen was a major fixture in the British fashion scene up until his tragic death two years ago. Now Sarah Burton has taken the fashion crown from HRH McQueen and never before has the brand been so alive.

It is common knowledge that the McQueen brand hasn't held any form of show in London for about ten years and their diffusion line, McQ, which was founded in 2006, has never been shown at all. That is until now. Sarah Burton is driving the McQueen brand kicking and screaming into a new era, having hosted for the first time ever a London Fashion Week show, presenting the AW12, McQ collection.

 The collection itself was miles away from anything offered previously from the diffusion line. Dresses that looked as if they had been made from the purest gossamer threads, embroidered with thick, botanical prints were paraded down the catwalk along with monochrome woollen dresses and 'Vamp-ish' red lace dresses. It was definitely a stellar McQ show that harked back to the McQueen heritage whilst still appealing to a wider, more conventional audience.

Of course this is a major fashion achievement and something which has caused a flurry of excitement to sweep through the fashion crowd, but what really caught my attention was the intricate hairstyles designed by Guido Palau. McQueen has been a constant source of inspiration for hairdressers worldwide and the McQ show did not disappoint. Compared with the fashion shows Guido and I worked on during NYFW where effortlessly chic glamour was on the agenda, the McQ show presented a strong, structural look that was styled with precision.

The main look of the show and no doubt the most talked about look of the show (pictured above) was inspired by a 1940's hair roll with Guido exaggerating this technique to create an Avant Garde, high fashion appearance. The model's own hair is swept upwards and then rolled around a giant hair doughnut to create the rounded, disc appearance. It is a long and slightly painful process (for the model anyway) but it is one that is used time and time again in the world of hairdressing.

What are your thoughts on this collection? Did you like the presentation and highly stylised hair or are you just happy to see McQueen return to Britain after so long?