Master hair stylist Kevin Murphy has been primping and preening the models’ tresses backstage at Melbourne Spring Fashion Week for eight years. He is also responsible for Fashion Week ambassador Dannii Minogue‘s newly cropped cut that has been making waves on the social pages. As the official hair director of MSFW, Murphy has developed four looks based on the individual stylists’ themes for this year’s main runways. We get him to back away from the blow-dryer for a moment to share his inspirations.
Designer Series 1 Gala
The Look: An asymmetrical twist on the French roll.
The Inspiration: “I took the 1940s victory roll and modernised it by bringing it to the side of the head to create a space-aged feel,” explains Murphy.
Dare to wear: Time to start practising those back-combing skills before your next black tie event. Look into a classic technique called ‘French lacing’ which is what the Kevin Murphy team used to create this style; or simply leave it to the experts and get your own stylist on speed-dial.
Designer Series 2 Boutique
The Look: The 70s style perm takes a resort vacation.
The Inspiration: “I wanted a Bianca Jagger/Stevie Nicks sort of look,” says Murphy.
Dare to wear: The Spring Racing Carnival is the perfect place to try out this kind of whimsical style; plus this look easily lends itself to the addition of a hat or fascinator. To “crimp” the mid-lengths and ends, stylists wove model’s locks through geisha pins and then heated them up with flat irons.
Designer Series 3 Enjoy
The Look: A slicked-back ponytail with high impact colour – think pink, magenta or aqua – taped in.
The Inspiration: Josie and the Pussycats meets a punk princess “Barbie on acid”.
Dare to wear: This attention grabbing look will make you the life of any big party. Kevin Murphy’s team lets us in on the secret to adding colour to short hair sans ponytail: sweep in good old-fashioned eye shadow in a vibrant hue!
Designer Series 4 Senso Uniquo
The Look: Softly textured volume at the crown, reined in with a tight, tribal braid.
The Inspiration: Murphy developed “a beehive-y grandma look to it with an African influence.”
Dare to wear: A free-spirited look like this would be a great way to bring some style to the next music festival you attend. This ‘do lends itself to a bit of freeform styling too; simply add rustic hair-ties in any place that takes your fancy.
