yoga@thestar.com.my

FASHION shows always seem so exciting and glamorous, especially the ones held at the fashion capitals of Milan, Paris, London and New York. Those who have witnessed the backstage action, however, will tell you that it’s really organised mayhem.

Models are being fitted into their clothes, make-up being done and hair being styled, all at once. And, when you throw into the fray a couple of diva tantrums by the models or designers, you’ve got the recipe for chaos. Some of the people who hold the hair together for such shows deserve special mention for the amazing work done. Efi Davies, the international artistic director for Toni&Guy, is one professional who has worked with numerous designers (occasionally, the designer might ask for his or her own hairstylist instead of the Toni&Guy team).

Names like Giles Deacon, Vivienne Westwood, Michiko Koshino, Basso&Brooke, Matthew Williamson and Gareth Pugh are but some of the few designers that crop up on her resume.

Toni&Guy is a 47-year-old British (now international) chain of hair salons and academies that has a long reputation of quality work, not only with its clientele and students, but also in the fashion industry.

The company works on fashion events and Fashion Weeks in Europe and Asia, as well as editorials for magazines. It has been working with designers for London Fashion Week (LFW) for a number of years and has been the Official Hair Sponsor for 14 seasons.

According to Davies, the actual work starts a couple of weeks before Fashion Week. Sometimes, the designers know exactly what kind of hairstyles they want. Davies would come up with the look on a model as how it would appear on the day of the show and this is known as the hair test.

“Other times, I walk in and they’re very open. They ask for my opinion as to how to go about doing the hair. I have to look at the collection and this is very important as hair makes up one third of the whole image. On the hand, it should not overpower the clothes; we’re only looking to complement the look. It has to blend in,” she explained.

Davies and her team were in town last month to showcase Toni&Guy’s latest hair collection during the launch of the Toni&Guy Hair Academy and its new salon in Kuala Lumpur.

She noticed that most designers prefer the same hairstyle for every model in the show. This means that all the models need to look identical.

“We have some clients who want variations but generally, there is one similar element − it could be the texture but the shapes are different, or it could be the reverse. But there are occasions when they want a different hairstyle for every model.”

She goes through the styles with her session team on the day of the show. They have about four hours to work on the models before the runway show starts.

“I do a demo for my team so that they can see how it is done. Then, everyone works on their respective models. They do the hair before they put on the clothes. It can get messed up sometimes but we can fix it. And, if the outfit is tight, we might ask them to put the top on first.”

Designers may sometimes change their minds about the look, either on the day of the hair test, or even on the very day of the show. Davies said that as long as it can be done, she would agree to it. But if it’s something that clearly would not work, she will advise the designer. “Thankfully, I have not had an occasion when the designer has refused to listen to our advice. Knock on wood,” she said with a laugh.

Last year, Davies and her team did a total of 52 shows for both the Fashion Weeks in London.

Toni&Guy has a session team of about five to six members and sometimes, up to 15 if there are more models. In one day, they could be doing five to six shows.

“Normally we take about half an hour per model or it could take up to maybe 45 minutes for a more elaborate style. Only the stylist work on the models. Normally, colouring is not done for shows.

“Yeah, my hands can get a bit numb sometimes, but it’s a real adrenaline rush. We do get the occasional diva model but once they see how the hair come together, they pipe down.”

For the show in London (and Paris) for Spring/Summer 2010 (held last September), hairstyles leant toward a more dishevelled and loose look. There were lots of internal texturing and hair layering. The whole look emphasised a natural and youthful look that appeared almost nonchalant.

If you have the chance to watch the latest LFW (which starts tomorrow), you would be able to view Davies and her team’s latest work.