Last week, I got to attend the Akris luncheon and fashion show to benefit the New York Presbyterian Hospital, held in the grand space of Cipriani uptown. Between sips of my blood orange bellini and pleasant small talk amongst the many elegant ladies-who-lunch in attendance, including Sloan Barnett, Jamie Tisch, Eleanor Ylvisaker, Judith Guiliani, Ghislaine Maxwell, Lucy Sykes, Marisa Brown, and Pamela Gross, I managed to sneak backstage and say hello to my favorite hair pro, Pasquale Ferrante of ION Studio, who was in charge of the models’ hair looks.
When I arrived, he was in the midst of pulling a model’s hair back off her face using products by the all-natural line Davines to smooth any stray locks. He then created a great, slightly unkempt bun in the back for a youthful, organic look that still maintained it’s polish, much like the Akris collection itself.
Just for you, my dear readers, I got the hair maestro to give us an easy step-by-step process on how any of us amateurs can get the same look in our home bathrooms. Here it is:
1.Wash hair with a gentle cleansing shampoo and conditioner.
2. Tousle blow dry until nearly dry.
3. The AKRIS image was achieved by blow drying the hair straight back into the direction of the actual shape we were going for (hair off the face, pulled back, yet not slick or wet in appearance). This step requires patience, control, and a smooth flat boars hair brush. Blow dry sections of the hair straight back off the face. Use a bit of texturizer to help with the blow dry, but DO NOT overload the product. The look is natural, and “product-less.”
4. Once hair has been completely blown back, pull hair into an extremely tight ponytail using an elastic with hooks on either end, which enables you to pull the hair tighter than with normal elastics.
5. Texturize some mess into the ponytail slightly, with product and by hand, so when we you work it into a bun, an organic look will be achieved.
6. Now work the hair within the ponytail into a loose bun using only one section, wrapped around the base of the ponytail. Fasten counter clockwise with hairpins, anchoring the pins into the ponytail base.
7. Lightly “mess up” the finished bun, using your fingers to lightly pull out a few strands to give it a bit of youthful texture and feeling.
8. Spray the entire look with a light finishing spray.
A model walking down the Akris runway, hair slicked back courtesy of Pasquale Ferrante.
Pasquale Ferrante working his magic.
