Crimp Comeback

Fashion recycles itself, and this is a known fact. Your mum’s wardrobe, once a symbolic hole for everything you wish not to be when you grow up, soon becomes full of vintage treasures that you just couldn’t have purchased in any shop these days. Thank you mum for being such a hoarder. There are limits, however, on trends that should never weave themselves back into today’s society, and crimped hair is one of them. Or so I thought.

The crimping iron, invented specifically for Barbara Streisand in 1972, became the iconic hair styler for the late 70’s and 80’s and aided the anarchic punk look that makes anyone who got caught up in that era look back on photos and cringe. The majority of us, at some stage, have had a full head crimp. I certainly have, I even owned a clumsy pair of Babyliss crimpers that gave two types of wave, the tight and the loose kink for different effects. It seems I shall now have to hunt around for the aforementioned equipment (probably wedged deep at the back of the cavern that is my storage cupboard), because the crimp has been re-born.

How, exactly, I do not know, nor do I care. Having taken a few glimpses at the A/W catwalks, I can see the kinks have been re-worked to make it modern, edgy and a far cry from the large shoulder-padded rock stars that donned the crimp with a dubious looking mullet in its original form. Michael Kors, Julien Macdonald, Jean Paul Gaultier, Chanel and Luella all made the crimp their own for this winter, creating hair that dismissed all rules and exudes rebellious attitude. The key point this time round is to use the crimper sparingly for an unstructured feel and keep the hair tousled. Or, pull back into a sleek ponytail to keep the chic style classy but with a touch of retro. It’s a playful yet strong look, and can be dressed down or up so work it to suit you.

Nicola Louise Watson

27/11/08

tags: Hair Trend