70's Tribute
Paul Gehring for ALCINA
The 70’s was an era where everybody wanted to be a person who made a difference, who stood out of the crowd, and wanted to change the world. Individualism and heroism was celebrated to the extent that it almost became abnormal to be merely normal.
The streets were more often than not filled with students marching for one cause or another, feminists fearlessly demanding gender-equality, revolutionists challenging social and economic problems, and the musicians threading all of this subtly and not-so-subtly into their songs and stage-personas.
Largely thanks to this, most people feel that they can have their say and make a difference on any and all social platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, the comments section of online publications etc.
In this brilliant collection, we get to focus on these parallels between the 70’s and now, in great relief, which is mirrored in our hairstyles and clothing trends.
Classic Pixie Cut
The model’s hair has been cut into a classic pixie cut with clean lines, simple angles and a wispy yet full fringe. There are countless variations of the pixie cut, yet you’ll find that this most simple form has stood the test of time for many generations. The neatness, inherent gracefulness and versatility of this particular hairstyle are the main reasons that explain why this style will always be in demand.
You’ll find this neat and simple yet feminine cut loved by scores of classic beauties, including 70’s starlets such as Mia Farrow and Barbara Streisand, to modern icons such as Carey Mulligan and Anne Hathaway.
The biggest style secret to pulling this short crop off lies in its color. This intense light red-copper color is absolutely ravishing. It complements the model’s tone and is a flawless canvas to showcase the precision and clean lines of this eternal cut.
Fashionable Pixie
Here we have the perfect opportunity to see the short, cropped pixie’s versatility in high-definition clarity. You’ll see that it is the same cut and color as the previous photo, yet that is where the likenesses stop. The model’s hair has been styled into an edgy and super modern look; capturing the unbridled yearning for individualism of the 70’s, yet still keeping in step with contemporary fashion.
Again; the vibrant light red-copper hair color is a great choice for this style. The unique color embodies the creative and feisty characteristics of the hairstyle. You’ll see a very subtle Mohawk silhouette at the back, while the side fringe and wispy pieces framing the face keep the style very feminine and soft.
The combination of this cut and color is probably one of the most underutilized looks in the modern fashion realm. Except for a handful of style muses such as Hailey Williams and Rihanna, very few seem to be brave enough to rock a flaming red-copper pixie.
Long Shag with a Full Fringe
This is one of only a handful of long hair styles that can accurately be called androgynous. The shag has been very popular among male and female celebrities for many generations. David Bowie and Mick Jagger rocked this hairstyle with forceful enthusiasm in the 70’s, while Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp still seem to favor their longer tresses.
On the female front; you’ll remember how the likes of Farrah Fawcett and Stevie Nicks loved their shaggy styles, and even today we still have the Olsen twins, Jennifer Aniston and Hilary Duff who refuse to let go of their shaggy hair.
Blonde is a good color for this style, as blonde hair tends to be at least slightly drier than darker hair. Drier hair is more easily styled into the almost bed-head look of the shag. The full fringe does well to balance the style, and adds an element of order to the free-spirited, 70’s inspired hairstyle.
Below the Shoulders Hairstyle
Here again; we have a textbook example of the “near, yet oh so far” phenomena that is so easily exemplified by a versatile hairstyle. This is the same cut, color and model as in the previous shot, yet here her below the shoulder, connected layers have been blow dried in a smooth and gentle inward curve. The only characteristic that it shares with the previous look is its full and smooth bangs.
This hairstyle gives off an elegant and stylish appeal, while the former variation of the model’s layered cut gave off an edgy, very individualistic aura.
Spiral Perm
The cold perm was invented in the 1940’s, but the process only really hit its peak in popularity in the 1980’s. When you watch Dirty Dancing, you’ll see what we mean. Here we have a medium-tight spiral perm that has been dried with a hair dryer and a diffuser. This look is really synonymous with the 80’s, yet we still see its influence to this very day!
The model’s hair is colored to a medium rich-brown hue with a copper undertone. The hair is slightly lighter at the tips, which adds dimension and movement. Darker colors usually work better with perms, as artificial blonde colors tend to get damaged when treated with the perming chemicals.
The spiral perm works well with this model, as the hair is styled into an “angel halo” style; meaning that the hair forms a balanced circle-form around her slim, diamond shaped face. Note how the stylists incorporated an 80’s style blouse with a brooch to complement the whole look.
Hair with Bouncy Spirals
This kind of spiral perm is the type of style that is more common today. You’ll see that the hair looks longer than the previous picture, as the hair has been styled to drop down from the previous angel-halo style. Beyonce, AnnaLynne McCord, Rihanna, and very recently Pixie Lott are only a handful of celebrities who love their curls.
The model’s hair is fine and of medium density, which makes it a perfect hair type to play around with spiral perm styles. If you have fine, limp hair, the perm might just be your new best friend! The model’s whole head have been treated with the spiral perm process, which means that even her fringe easily coils up in bouncy spirals, creating a rich and full look.
This picture immediately attracts one’s attention, because it’s a look that signifies strong individuality and confidence. In a time where Brazilian blowouts and chemical straighteners reign in salons; this feels like a breath of fresh air in a very monotonous stage of fashion.
Wash and Wear Hairstyle
This beautiful layered hairstyle with a long fringe was really rocking for both sexes in the 70’s. Think David Bowie, Jane Fonda, Goldie Hawn, David Cassidy etc. Because it was so incredibly popular, the straight layers with long bangs spilled over with a vengeance well into the 80’s, with the likes of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love fiercely leading the pack.
The model’s rich dark brown hair is naturally straight and fine, with a medium density. This is really the perfect type of hair for this style. If you’re one of the lucky ones who inherited this type of hair, you’ll probably find that this cut is the perfect “wash and wear” hairstyle for you.
The style itself has an enigmatic characteristic, which is amplified by the model’s long wispy fringe, brooding face and dark make-up. The hair is styled to cover her ears and fall in wispy tendrils around the weight line, creating tendrils of hair that splay out in their own direction.
Away from the Face Hairstyle
Here we have a look that’s very much the same as the previous picture, yet it exudes a completely different feel to it. In the 70’s and 80’s, people tended to wear their hair like a halo, i.e. framing their faces directly around the hairline; in effect covering their ears and temples. Today, we tend to wear the hair slightly more away from the face, which opens up our facial structures and features.
The model’s dark brown hair stands out in a beautiful contrast with her fair complexion, while her orange-nude lips and slight bronzer along the cheek hollows complement her bright orange top flawlessly.
Long Bob with Full Bangs
This long bob with bangs was really popular in the 70’s, especially for those with really thick, straight hair. The trademark characteristic of specific the 70’s in this style is the rounded and very full fringe. The folks in the swinging seventies were obsessed with gradually rounded bangs framing their faces, irrespective of sex, style or cut.
Men and women were rocking their rounded fringes all over the show, which is one of the main distinguishing looks that we associate with this era, even now. If you look at the box-office success movie “American Hustle” that was set in the 70’s, you’ll immediately see what we mean.
The model’s dark brown hair stands out in flawless relief against her alabaster hued skin, while the slightly longer tips flare in a subtle arc towards the front. Her darker eye make-up, nude lips and tan colored high-necked shirt create a very well balanced and decidedly neutral backdrop, which successfully emphases the hairstyle as the central focal point.
Wavy Hair with Straight Bangs
Here we have a style that was more popular in the 80’s and 90’s, and still has a sizeable contemporary cult following in Hollywood today. Katie Perry, Cheryl Cole, Taylor Swift, Alexa Chung and Olivia Palermo are only a handful of the bevy of beauties who still favor this hairstyle in one version or another.
The model’s hair is styled into a side-path, with the tips of the hair curled with a large-barrel curling iron. The stylist gently combed out much of the structure of the curls, leaving the hair much more relaxed and seeming almost naturally wavy.
The straight bangs tend to have a more severe, corporate look; a style that was very much in demand in the 80’s where the grown-up generation of baby boomers was ruling the commercial world. The model’s dark eye make-up and glossy-pink lipstick was also a trademark look for the business women of the 80’s, which is beautifully reflected in the model’s structured blazer.
Pastel Hair Colors
A lot of people don’t know this, but the pastel hair colors that have taken the fashion realm by storm, actually originated as the answer to white-gray hair of grannies and grandpas, that tended to go yellow. Much like blonde hair that tends to go brassy, older people’s white or gray hair has an irritating tendency to take on a golden hue, especially in the case of people who smoke, (incessant smoking stains fingernails, fingertips and hair!), or people with a natural golden undertone.
The answer was to rinse the hair with purple- or pink tinged water-solution, which balanced the yellow tone, yet almost always stained the hair in a light purple or pink hue. This became a fashion statement and was very much in demand in the salons of the 70’s and onwards.
Here we have medium length layered blonde hair in a full, side-fringed style that was also very hot in the 70’s. The black eyeliner, navy-blue suspenders coupled with a bright orange sweater, turtleneck and chunky necklace mirrors the 70’s style flawlessly.
Flipped Over Bangs
This kind of hairstyle is very much in demand at the moment. The model’s extra-accentuated flip-over fringe was made hugely popular in the emo- and grunge era that crashed over the fashion- and style scene a few years back. Although the spiked chokers, chipped nail-varnish and “all-black everything” theme has thankfully mostly calmed down, we have chosen to keep the very full and flipped over diagonal bangs.
You’ll often see Taylor Swift, Emma Stone, Kristen Stewart, Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens wearing their bangs like this.
The model’s medium ash blonde hair has been snipped into a wispy and texturized layered cut, with the ends colored to a pastel pink hue. The tips have been styled in slight outward splays, which puts even more emphasis on the tinged tips and wispy effect. The pink hues work very well with the model’s peaches and cream complexion and dramatic eye make-up.
Hair: Paul Gehring for ALCINA
Photography: Carlo Ballocchi
