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Strong words like “Courage” and “Equality” covered the clothes at Donatella Versace’s Fall 2017 show, a powerful call for female empowerment in the world today. Backstage, an equally bold statement came courtesy of hairstylist Guido Palau, who stood hard at work weaving vivid colors into the models’ strands.
“It’s Donatella’s vision of the modern Versace woman,” he explained of the delicate, electric-hued extensions scattered everywhere. “You see on the street, girls using hair color as a cosmetic, as a way to identify themselves.” Each weft was custom-dyed by London colorist Josh Wood, then meticulously applied and cut to fit by Palau’s team of Redken stylists for roughly half of the cast. “They peep through, like an ombré effect,” he explained, pointing toward model Catherine McNeil, whose crimson streaks were worked subtly into her fringe, while Marjan Jonkman’s popped loudly against her platinum bob.
Each model was handpicked and expertly paired to their color by Donatella—see Kiki Willems’s bright orange strands matched to a copper chain-metal dress, or Vittoria Ceretti’s jewel-toned blue blending into a fur-trimmed coat. Yet the finished look managed to stick to house beauty codes with a simple gesture: louche, bombshell waves, prepped with Redken Pillow Proof primer, then loosely blown back. A Versace classic with a twist, or the perfect pick-me-up for spring.