Marc Jacobs Sent Models Down the Runway With "Anti-Unicorn Hair"

Thanks to Instagram, unicorn hair has cemented itself in hair-color history with it's vibrant, Lisa Frank-esque hues. Having bright hair like this has become more and more normal in the workplace, but Redken's Global Color Creative Director Josh Wood realizes it's still taboo. With rainbow hair here to stay, he came up with a solution: "anti-unicorn hair," as he called it backstage at the Marc Jacobs Spring 2019 runway show. "It’s not overt or bold, it’s refined," he said.

Wood's version of anti-unicorn hair was featured on 37 of the models who walked the show on Wednesday night. Days before, Wood took each model completely pastel, dying their hair either sage green, lavender, peach, sky blue, lemon yellow, or petal pink. The theme that pulled all the colors together was the fact they were all metallic pastels. "These kinds of colors allow every woman access to having fun color," Wood said. In general, the shades were supposed to look vintage and a little worn in. "We wanted to make colors that look like they had history to them," Wood explained.

The Process of Creating Anti-Unicorn Hair

After flying into New York Sunday afternoon, Wood embarked on one of his biggest, most diverse color projects to date. Last season, only nine models seized the opportunity to undergo a hair transformation (he dyed their hair vivid jewel tones for the Marc Jacobs fall 2018 show. But as I mentioned earlier, 37 models dyed their hair this time around.

Wood started off the process by bleaching everyone's hair to create a blank canvas for the anti-unicorn hair. Then, colorists used a shadow-root technique to help the metallic pastel hues look less wig-like and give them depth. Next, the models' hair was dyed with a metallic base in purple, titanium, or platinum, followed by a pastel dye, the color of which was chosen based on what the model was wearing for the show. All the layering created a multi-dimensional color that, when you looked at it, didn't appear to be a singular shade.

Styling Anti-Unicorn Hair

After the models underwent up to six coloring sessions, styling time arrived. Redken Global Creative Director Guido created three different hairstyles for the show — and, like the hair colors, the trio of looks shared a commonality in terms of shape (egg-like) and vibe (coiffed, with an element of fantasy). Some of the models were given an exaggerated updo (either a ponytail or a knot), others' hair was styled in a graduated bob, and a couple sported buzz cuts.

So how do you achieve these styles at home? "You don't," Guido remarked. "You can take elements from it, but if you want this exaggerated, polished look, I don’t think anyone could do this.” Sure, you could shave off all your hair. But if you really want your bob to have an over-the-top egg shape to it or feel the need to pull your hair up in a voluminous pony, you'll have to visit your hairstylist. They'll probably have to call in reinforcements, too. I saw several models with at least four stylists working on their hair. In the mood to try teasing you hair, though? The stylists sprayed models' hair with Redken's Wind Blown 05 and Guts 10 to help give it grip and texture.

Complementing Anti-Unicorn Hair

True to the Marc Jacobs aesthetic, the makeup for the Spring 2019 collection matched the hair perfectly. Lead makeup artist Diane Kendal covered models' lids in either sheer or opaque washes of matte-pastel shadow, using the same lilacs, powder blues, and lemon yellows as Josh Wood used for their hair. The loose pigment used came straight from the Marc Jacobs Beauty factory. We'll have to wait and see if they officially launch in coming months.

To help prime the lids for the pastels, Kendal topped them with the same foundation ( Marc Jacobs Beauty Shameless Youthful-Look 24H Foundation SPF 25) that was used all over the face. After brushing the colorful pigment onto the lids, Kendal traced the lashes with either the brown or black Magic Marc'er Precision Pen Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner, which helped "ground" the look, she said. She then completed the eye makeup with a few coats of Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara.

We don’t want it to look retro, even though it is inspired by that. We didn’t want it to look too literal.

Brows were filled with the Brow Wow Defining Longwear Eyebrow Pencil, and lips were topped with the Enamoured Hydrating Lip Gloss Stick in Sugar Sugar (a sheer champagne). And that's about it. Kendal skipped blush to keep the look modern. "We don’t want it to look retro, even though it is inspired by that," she said. "We didn’t want it to look too literal.”

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