At the Alice + Olivia Fall 2011 show, Gatsby-inspired, flapper-style dresses and sequined cocktail frocks were paired with long, knotted pearl necklaces, feather boas, sequined frame clutches, Mary-Jane pumps, and feather spectator hair pieces. But this was no 1920s costume party, as the pieces were modernized and imbued with an upscale Bohemian splendor befitting of a Vespa-loving, paillette-rocking, out-on-the-town Serena van der Woodsen type thanks to fur-trimmed vests, lace overlay skirts with fringed hemlines, one-shoulder tops with flared, tulip-like waistlines, and zippered bronze leather coats with brown fur accents along the collar and cuffs.
Though some models wore their hair in pin-straight bobs, the prevalent hair look at the Alice + Olivia show was a loose, low chignon, created by the Sebastian Professional team. Thomas Dunkin held down the fort backstage, preparing models' tresses for the show, held on Valentine's Day at the storied Plaza Hotel in NYC.
To create the look, Dunkin and his team started by dampening hair and applying Sebastian Professional Volupt Spray to add body, then blow-drying hair and finger-combing it rather than using brushes so as to heighten volume and retain the hair's natural texture. Once hair was dry, Dunkin and the Sebastian Professional team parted the hair at its natural part, so as to keep the hair looking soft and not overly structured or "done." Next, they applied Sebastian Professional Shine Define and brushed the hair to the back. Small sections of hair on either side were twisted softly and secured along the back. All of the hair, including these twists, was then pulled into low chignons and secured with elastic bands matching the corresponding model's hair color and matte bobby pins. Any hair that remained loose was allowed to fly out freely for a fun-loving, been-dancing-all-night effect. Last, hair stylists spritzed on Sebastian Professional Trilliant to give the look hold and boost shine.
