Careers in Fashion

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Blake Lively blonde

It's the age-old question, Betty and Veronica... Do blondes, like, really have more fun?
Yesterday, I came across this NY Times article and was highly amused. It concerns a certain 'Gossip Girl' with long, flowing locks... Apparently, the coif and color of Blake Lively is now the most requested style in NYC salons. So is Serena van der Woodsen's hairstyle the new "Rachel"?
Women who frequent salons like Bumble and bumble are asking for shiny blonde highlights, long layers and plenty of tousle à la Lively. But, as the Times takes pains to point out, hair like Blake Lively's is awfully hard to duplicate unless, ya know, you're born with it.

"It's aspirational hair," said one salon owner. "It looks accidental, but actually it takes work." (Shocker.)

Others add that some lucky girls like Lively are simply "born with amazing hair" and that wanting her exact style "sets unrealistic expectations." One stylist even questioned if everyday women can even handle such a cut. They must figure that only screen goddesses are born with perfectly tussled tresses; the rest of us simply can't handle it!

I guess I'd like to point out that I was born with a full head of hair, too, Ms. Lively, but mine started out inky black and turned blonde by the time I was a toddler. Then what did I do with my "lucious" blonde mane?

Hi, Emily!

I brought this very picture into my stylist...And emerged a Zooey clone! Now I've got some "indie cred." Still waiting for my big "indie" break. :P

So much for Blake Lively blonde! Why, oh why, did I do it? (My stylist was practically crying.) Boredom, sheer boredom. Sometimes I do miss my long, flowing blonde waves, but I figure it's hair, we might as well do what we want with it! Especially if we have lots of it to mess with. My other major point was that nobody is born with perfect hair. Lively's stylist claims that to achieve the Serena look, all she does is apply a conditioning mask, twist the hair into a chignon and let it air dry. Yeah, right! If you've ever seen Gossip Girl, you know it takes a little more than some conditioner and a loose bun to achieve those curls. Even natural waves and curls need treatment and TLC... and heat! I used to achieve bedhead blonde "perfection" by sleeping with my hair in a topknot, shaking it out in the morning, and curling the ends under if the waves were too uneven. Add plenty of Aussie's Sprunch spray and a good curl gel and you're good to go!

Now I miss my "Zooey" cut (yeah, so I'm a copycat, too)... my hair is a boring "blah" brown right now and ready to go lighter or darker. Too bad I spent all my designated salon money on shoes! :D This season, I seem to care more about how my feet look (and feel!) than what color my hair is. I figure if I really feel like it, I can always just grab a box of dye or a highlighting kit and experiment at home. What about you guys? Any hair-raising tales to share? You know me, I always love a good "hairstory." And puns. :P

6 comments:

Rebecca, A Clothes Horse said...

I had to fight to get a bob once; 10 inches of hair gone in a flash and no one but me wanted to see it go! Hair cuts are definitely a good cure for boredom. I personally find Serena's character, style, and hair boring...but my sister disagrees, so who knows?

Lexie said...

I love the Blake Lively blonde look ... but it's going to take ten years for it to get that long/wavy! I did resign not to color my hair until I start graying... toooooo expensive (and the at home stuff is too damaging)!!

Diary of a Young Designer said...

I love blake's hair but then again, it's her hair, it's professionally styled. Btw, love that Zooey Haircut!

xo
Sophie

Jaime @ laviejaime said...

Love the Blake long, blonde look but your hair is cute too! :)

Talisa said...

I looove your hair:)

RoamRoundTheWorld said...

I stumpled upon this post (and blog) completely by chance, but I just had to leave a small comment to compliment you on your Zooey look! :) I have quite similar hair to you in the first picture - lots of it, medium/semi-blonde, very thick, and it takes just a year or two to get it to almost waist length. It has always been what people noticed about me and commented on, so when I wanted to cut most of it off after years and years of Pocahontas length hair, everyone was like "Nooo don't do it, I wish had your hair, you can't cut it". It sounds like you received exactly the same reaction and I simply wanted to command you for not giving in to other people's perception of beautiful hair or to the trends in the media (Lively for example) but to go for what you thought would be a cool change and/or would suit you. It honestly looks so amazing! Zooey's hair is one of my absolute favorite styles and I really wish it would look like that on me! Okay, so totally random comment but I believe that if you have something nice to say to someone, you should just say it ;)