Hair There and Everywhere

If there was ever any doubt that big hair is alive and well, it will be dispelled by a new photo book and accompanying runway show. Just in time for the holidays, a consciousness-raising volume called Hair Wars has been released by powerHouse Books  (which can always be counted on for idiosyncratic photo collections). The book features such wild creations as this little do at left. For those who want to see this stuff in the flesh, a grand celebration is planned for January 20, 2008, at the Northfield Hilton in Troy, Michigan, outside Detroit — touted as the "Hair Capital of the World."

The Hair Wars show — actually a revival of a a national touring show dedicated to "Fantasy Hair" styling from the 1980s and '90s — features more than 200 creations by hairstylists who try to outdo each other in defying gravity and incorporating cultural references (such as the Olympic logo, right; for show information call Hair Wars at 313-534-8318).

Meanwhile the new book, compiled by David Yellen and Johanna Lenander, collects photos of many but not all of these masterpieces; judging from the pdf that we saw, it's a highly amusing page-turner. "Remote controlled Hairy-copter, spinning ponytail, hairdos that include a gigantic bowl with live Japanese fighting fish or built-in device that blows soap bubbles…all those short-lived and fragile Fantasy Hair pieces, entirely made of human hair and completed by make up and custom-made outfits, give birth to creatures that evoke either fairytales or the real-life events they were inspired by," reads the promo copy, itself an outlandish creation. But rest assured: "The humour at play never overwhelms the intent to make the models (most are stylists’ friends and family members) look sexy and beautiful."

Of all these creations, though, we think the one below takes the cake. — Jack Crager

Comments

[taisha Roberts]

Awsome hair creation inver seen anthing like before that is so beautiful