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If you’re going to walk Prada, there are prerequisites. For Spring 2014, that meant dye jobs in pulled-back shades of black, brown, red, or platinum 48 hours prior to the big event. This season, catwalkers would have to go under the scissors. “All the girls want to be in Prada,” said mane master Guido Palau, flashing a smile that conveyed the message: I know I’ve got power, and I plan to use it. “The girls aren’t so precious about their hair; I think if you started cutting the length, it would be a different story!” He snipped the “baby hairs” around models’ faces to create the illusion of “boyish sideburns,” eventually misting them with water to make the flyaways stick to the skin. “It’s funny how little bits of hair can give you a lot,” Palau added. The majority of strands were then raked back with Redken Mess Around 10 paste before the length was pulled into a low ponytail and coated with the forthcoming Diamond Oil High Shine Airy Mist for a “greasy” finish. “These small [details] are an indication of who this woman is—she’s obviously pulled together and very rich, but she has a lot of tough attitude,” he said.
The “exaggerated couture” wings—a combo of brown, gray, and black pigments—were equally as rebellious. So, too, were the thin, “hallucinogenic” lines etched above models’ brows by makeup maestro Pat McGrath. “It’s raw glamour but still very street,” she noted.
Of the designer’s total package, Palau summed it up quite succinctly: “She always celebrates women in such a beautiful way, even if it’s sometimes a bit off—which is the charm of Prada.” And what’s losing a little length when compared to meeting Miuccia’s vision?
