Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Silver Foxettes

Kristen McMenamy
I have long been a fan of grey.  Growing up in Southern NZ, it was all about a dark, moody palette - black, grey, charcoal. Very Bronte sisters on the moors, or a gothic Miss Havisham. Maybe it is something to do with the Scottish heritage. There's something very romantic about grey, which is kind of ironic given it is perceived as a dour, 'lifeless' colour. But I love all the variants of grey. From charcoal to gun-metal, indigo tinged blues to creamy doves. Grey can be moody & urban, like concrete, a stormy sky or steel. Grey can be soft like dove feathers, Weimaraner dogs or smoky coloured cats. Grey can be majestic like dappled grey horses or granite statues. So I have been intrigued by the grey hair trend that hit last year. Kristen McMemany (above on I-D magazine) leads the charge with her striking long grey locks. The silver tone is quite stunning. Men have long been able to go grey and be seen as sexy, suave 'silver foxes' - a la George Clooney, Anderson Cooper, Tim Gunn or Richard Gere.  Andy Warhol (below with Debbie Harry) was famous for his trademark grey punk-do.  
"I thought that young people had more problems that old people, and I hoped I could last until I was older so that I wouldn't have all these problems...So I decided to go gray so nobody would know how old I was and I would look younger to them than how old they thought I was. I would gain a lot by going gray: (1) I would have old problems, which were  easier to take than young problems...I could occasionally lapse into eccentricity or senility  and no one would think anything of it because of my gray hair...So I dyed my hair gray when I was about twenty-three or twenty-four." The Philosophy of Andy Warhol.
 
Women traditionally had to dye their greys to look 'young and sexy' - until now. Recently I've noticed women, not only older but young girls too, embracing grey hair. It looks hot! My lovely friend Lorna Storm (below) went bleached silver-platinum at age 20. In her heyday as lead singer of Total Magenta she was described by various reviews as Cyndi Lauper's disowned bad little sister and  a cross between Nico & Minnie Mouse. It was an amazing look - bright white locks against white skin with darkest brown eyes, & shock of red lippie. (See more on Lorna here.) 
 
Here are some of my latest fave grey haired looks.
 Kristen McMenamy
Kristen McMenamy off-duty





 
 
Gareth Pugh RTW Spring 2010.
 
 
 
Giles Deacon Spring 2010
Dazed & Confused editorial styled by Katie Shillingford, 2010
 Jessica Miller for Dazed & Confused
Charlotte Free for Topshop
 
 Grey looks from Bleach London

Masha P for Marie Claire London

Celebs go grey.
Kate
 Gaga
 
Sarah Harris from Vogue UK  and by Streetsyle
Kate Shillingford, Fashion Editor for Dazed & Confused 
 
 Pixie Geldof (above with Henry Holland)
MK Olsen

 
 Daphne Guinness
 
 Ruby Rose




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