Schwarzkopf Professional Helps Translate Runway Trends to Tresses

Henkel hair care brand Schwarzkopf Professional created a look book that combines inspiration, insight and expert guidance for leveraging all areas of salon life. Introduced in July 2013, the brand's highly acclaimed Autumn/Winter edition of the Essential Looks Collection celebrates a color burst.

As Steve Hogan, creative director for Schwarzkopf Professional Essential Looks, explains, "Our avowed mission remains unchanged—to take trend and style inspiration from the catwalks of New York, London, Milan and Paris and distil them into everyday, salon-friendly looks that hairdressers, worldwide, can adapt for their clients. What has evolved in this book is how we do it. Our Couture Service shows how stylists can take each key trend for the coming season and flex it to fit any client that walks through their salon door—a crucial creative bridge. And as we continually seek new ways to bring theory to vibrant everyday life and enhance our partner’s expertise, we’ve evolved our Essential Looks App to deliver the latest must-have EL details to smartphones and tablets."

Of course, the need to remain relevant in a dynamic market is paramount, and one Schwarzkopf never loses sight of, which is why its Essential Looks Colour Burst showcases exciting new professional ranges in naturally inspired color, revolutionary care and catwalk-ready styling.

Just as the success of the Essential Looks World Tour has proved that great hairdressing transcends geography and language, the trends identified in the new book will touch all global markets. So, what’s coming over the trend horizon?

  • 40s Retro: Hourglass elegance was given new meaning this season as all fashion capitals embraced the 40s trend that’s set to seduce women worldwide. Fit and flare shapes, strong silhouettes and longer length skirts embodied a new sophistication, with cinched in belted waists a unifying feature. The skirt suit dominated the refined sexiness on show at Prada and Oscar de la Renta with long coats and ladylike dresses making a stylish appearance at Bottega Veneta and Miu Miu. Fabrics mixed it up with luxurious tweeds, silks, plaids and velvets in a huge range of shades, yet, despite the nostalgic tailoring, a mood of modern glamour always seemed to shimmer beneath the surface.
  • CONstruct: Luxe sportswear has been flexing some style muscle for quite a while now yet this season saw it hone its mainstream credentials in a minimalist meeting with the Bodycon trend. Cue swathes of neoprene and other high performance fabrics as Lacoste, Charlotte Ronson and Helmut Lang picked up the pace around the world, playing with constructed shaping and strong graphic panels. Blues, whites, greys, greens, black, beige and flashes of yellow dominated the palettes, while some rare detailing at Peter Pilotto evolved easy-to-wear day shapes into effortlessly sensual evening attire.
  • Punkettes: Even young guns have to grow up sometime, which is exactly what’s happened to last season’s Electric Youth. The Punkettes are still thumbing their noses at authority, but this time they’re rocking their rebel credentials while flashing more cash. The raw edges are all intentional with many designers choosing to showcase timeless tartan in a nod to the trend’s ‘70s heritage, while black is wall-to-wall compulsory in leather, wet-look rubber and high-shine patent. Moschino, Christopher Kane and JPG all riffed on the essential biker and blouson jackets theme with embroidery, studs and even lace detailing to ensure anti-fashion never looked so elegantly wasted.
  • Suitgirls: Every season a new twist on androgyny struts the catwalks but this time around it’s poised to go global with a power play for mannish tailoring. From boyfriend and boxy silhouettes to feminine and flirty teamed with a silky blouse or killer heels, the tailored suit seemed to stalk every runway. A sartorial mix of materials featured restrained flannel, classic pinstripes and even leopard print. But what nails this trend is the precision detailing including contrast trims and pop flourishes in reference to David Bowie’s Thin White Duke. As you’d expect, Stella McCartney, Paul Smith and Dior all stood tall, juxtaposing masculine with a powerfully feminine vibe.
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