Backstage at Alexander Wang’s Fall 2016 show today, Binx Walton was smiling in disbelief at her own reflection as a trusted member of hairstylist Guido Palau’s team snipped inches off her freshly dyed ends. “It looks surfer-y,” said Palau of the model’s new bleach job, which left inches of her natural chestnut roots entirely untouched. “It can’t be a perfect technique,” he explained of the purposefully rough contrast between shades. “What you’re seeing here is all of the wrong things being presented as the right things.” He was referring to the number of graphic cuts and high-octane dye jobs that he was doling out to Wang’s famously diverse cast of cool girls, but he could have just as easily been talking about the designer’s collection of marijuana-appliquéd chiffon dresses, bleach-splattered silk gowns, and stripper-embroidered pink pants.
According to Palau, owning a sartorial statement, no matter how prim or unruly, starts with finding confidence in your beauty look. This was a feeling he inspired through “really emphasizing [each] girl. It’s about individuality. If they’ve got a cut, we’re going to emphasize that and make it stronger. If they’ve got that natural texture, we’re going to emphasize that.” Lineisy Montero’s afro and Mica Arganaraz’s curly, low-hanging bangs and shoulder-skimming lob were merely shampooed, air-dried, and defined with a bit of Redken Wax Blast.
For others, reinvention was key to finding their inner stylistic voice. Wang sophomore Peyton Knight ditched the lash-skimming bangs she got from Palau in September for a fresh micro set. And newcomer Katie Moore, who opened the show, said goodbye to her waist-length blonde earlier this morning in favor of a razor-sharp, tomato-color bob. Before the transformation, returning cast member Isabella Emmack offered Moore a bit of sage advice. “I said, ‘Guido is amazing, the haircuts are amazing, and it’s a great statement to make us stand out.’ ”
According to Palau, a loss in length can be a gain in self-possession. “It will give her a new idea of herself, that’s what’s inspiring about change—and that’s what this show is about in beauty terms,” he continued. “Acknowledging every type of woman—boyish, feminine, every kind.” Were the rule-breaking dye jobs and gender-fluid cuts liberating? While Walton confessed she hopes she can hold on to her new color, Moore shared her elation more openly, writing “Cannot thank you enough. Amazing” on Palau’s Instagram. Now that’s change for the better.
Watch the Alexander Wang Fall 2016 Ready-to-Wear show:
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