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When Kaia Gerber floated down the Maison Valentino Haute Couture 2018-2019 runway in a sea of plucked pink ostrich feathers, it wasn’t the dress that left showgoers speechless. Her hair – mighty and mountainous – was the indisputable high point. The unashamedly exaggerated ’do, backcombed with brilliance by backstage maestro Guido Palau, breathed new meaning into the word big. And whilst big hair has always had this kind of ineffable allure, it has, at times, been hard to quantify. So, does bigger truly mean better?
According to Marie Antoinette, oui. Her hairstylist, Léonard Autié, glorified height with le pouf – a sizeable coif made famous by the last Queen of France and one that was mimicked by mademoiselles from Paris to Provence. In the ‘60s, Brigitte Bardot gave good bedhead, her voluminous tresses going on to define the newfound sexual freedom of the era, redefining sixties sensuality with the bouffant: lofty at the root and textured at the ends. Then in the ‘90s, it was all about the big, bad blow-out, with a legion of supers – Claudia, Christy and Cindy – sporting va-va-voom styles charged with infinite volume. And now, the bouffant has come full circle, with Kaia – the model progeny of Crawford – and her new model cadre championing big hair once more. Fellow gal pal and model offspring, Bella Hadid, recently came down with a case of Dolly fever courtesy of Sam McKnight. The celebrity stylist opted for a Parton-esque riff on the bouncy beehive for the new dsquared2 campaign. Even sister Gigi is partial to a little lift from time to time. After fashion’s long-standing love-affair with lived-in locks, it seems glamour is making a comeback, with a host of new styling products available to keep you reaching for the stars.
To get the look at home, generously spritz a root lifter at the crown, then with a medium-sized round brush, curl and blast hair with a hairdryer. Repeat with a shot of cool air: this will set the hair and provide polish to the ends. Or, if you prefer it dirty, a touch of texturiser through the mid-lengths and ends will add both bulk and body. Consider towering hair an instant confidence boost; it makes you walk a little taller, stand a little straighter and quite literally puts the bounce back into your step (or hair). Elaborately coiffed and as high as the heavens…big is back, and better than ever.
