Hair Stylist Stephen Knoll Dishes on NYFW Hair

Hair Stylist Stephen Knoll Dishes on NYFW Hair

Beauty
by
February 20, 2012

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No to headbands, yes to deep side parts; the famed hair stylist shares his thoughts on this season's fashion week trends.

Stephen Knoll is best known for his sprawling Madison Avenue salon and for tending to the hair of stars like Drew Barrymore, Christie Brinkley, Bette Midler, Kristin Davis, Debra Messing, Elle Macpherson, Jerry Hall, David Bowie, Iman, and Anne Hathaway, but he also has a fantastic line of haircare products (not only are they effective, but they smell amazing), and his work has appeared in innumerable glossies including Vogue, Bazaar, and InStyle. Given that he's become an industry go-to, we turned to Knoll for his thoughts on this season's NYFW hair looks.

 

  • Zac Posen

    "I like this look. It's probably not the most wearable the way it's done on the runway, but you could easily achieve a more approachable version. Apply gel to slightly damp hair and use a hair elastic to loop the hair through until it's tight without pulling the last loop all the way through."

    Zac Posen

  • Diane von Furstenberg

    "This is a great look and one that can be attractive on a lot of women. Don't shy away from a deep side part — it works for so many women!"

    Diane von Furstenberg

  • Y-3

    "I like this look too! It might not be wearable for every woman though. You can easily get this look by giving yourself a center part. Then, twist hair in two separate buns and simply secure the look with one to three pins."

    Y-3

  • Doo.Ri

    "I'm not particularly fond of this look and it's probably too severe for the average person. If you did want to copy this look however, apply gel to damp hair and pull it back. Then secure the look with one to three pins or a hair elastic."

    Doo.Ri

  • Altuzarra

    "I have to say, I do not like this look and find it uninspiring! Sure it's wearable for everyday, but I don't recommend it."

    Altuzarra
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  • Zac Posen

    "I like this look. It's probably not the most wearable the way it's done on the runway, but you could easily achieve a more approachable version. Apply gel to slightly damp hair and use a hair elastic to loop the hair through until it's tight without pulling the last loop all the way through."

    Zac Posen

  • Diane von Furstenberg

    "This is a great look and one that can be attractive on a lot of women. Don't shy away from a deep side part — it works for so many women!"

    Diane von Furstenberg

  • Y-3

    "I like this look too! It might not be wearable for every woman though. You can easily get this look by giving yourself a center part. Then, twist hair in two separate buns and simply secure the look with one to three pins."

    Y-3

  • Doo.Ri

    "I'm not particularly fond of this look and it's probably too severe for the average person. If you did want to copy this look however, apply gel to damp hair and pull it back. Then secure the look with one to three pins or a hair elastic."

    Doo.Ri

  • Altuzarra

    "I have to say, I do not like this look and find it uninspiring! Sure it's wearable for everyday, but I don't recommend it."

    Altuzarra
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  • Zac Posen

    "I like this look. It's probably not the most wearable the way it's done on the runway, but you could easily achieve a more approachable version. Apply gel to slightly damp hair and use a hair elastic to loop the hair through until it's tight without pulling the last loop all the way through."

    Zac Posen

  • Diane von Furstenberg

    "This is a great look and one that can be attractive on a lot of women. Don't shy away from a deep side part — it works for so many women!"

    Diane von Furstenberg

  • Y-3

    "I like this look too! It might not be wearable for every woman though. You can easily get this look by giving yourself a center part. Then, twist hair in two separate buns and simply secure the look with one to three pins."

    Y-3

  • Doo.Ri

    "I'm not particularly fond of this look and it's probably too severe for the average person. If you did want to copy this look however, apply gel to damp hair and pull it back. Then secure the look with one to three pins or a hair elastic."

    Doo.Ri

  • Altuzarra

    "I have to say, I do not like this look and find it uninspiring! Sure it's wearable for everyday, but I don't recommend it."

    Altuzarra

 

The Fashion Spot: Do you think beauty looks are safer in NY than they are in the other major fashion weeks? 

Stephen Knoll: Unfortunately, yes!

tFS: From your experience, how much do runway looks actually affect what clients in salons ask for?

SK: Honestly, they really don't.

tFS: Who's more influential in terms of what women want to mimic, model's hair looks or celebrity's hair looks?

SK: Sadly, celebrities.

tFS: All time favorite runway beauty look?

SK: Veruschka During the 60s.

tFS: We saw a lot of hats on the runway. Any tips for wearing them without messing up your hair?

SK: There's not much that you can do, so I would say either wear it and don't worry about it or carry it as an accessory.

tFS: We saw a lot of hair products being used this season. Any tips for not ending up with a super crunchy mane?

SK: Don't overdo it! When you use the right product, you don't need to use that much of it. A good tip to remember is to apply product to damp hair as opposed to dry or wet hair.

tFS: Orlando Pita said he feels a headband trend coming on, do you agree?

SK: Not really.

tFS: What's the biggest "hair mistake" you find women make?

SK: Not having a style that works with their face and hair type, as well as not having a style that's easy for them to style on a daily basis.

 

Runway images: Imaxtree

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The Fashion Spot's Style Editor, Sharon Feiereisen, is a freelance writer based in New York City. Her work has been published in Newsday, AM New York, WHERE New York, Dan's Papers, and on BlackBook.com, among many other print and online outlets. Fluent in French and German, Sharon is a confessed jewelry addict with a particularly strong affinity for nOir and Hermes. Check out her tumblr blog, Random Happenings. 

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