Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 18, 1990 TAG: 9003142965
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-15 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: VALLI HERMAN LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: Medium
The crazy Mr. Hyde hair fashions that terrorized the past decade are shifting into their subdued Dr. Jekyll look, starting this spring, say Los Angeles hair experts.
Hairstyles follow fashion styles, with both heading toward more relaxed shapes, subtle colors and less radical treatments this spring.
Hemlines have settled at average, figure-flattering lengths, and hair lengths have been adjusted to match.
The newer styles graze the jaw or chin line, not the shoulders or, in radical looks of the punk past, ear tops. If one look threatens to predominate, it is the simple bob, a short, one- or two-layer sleek cut that gets several interpretations.
Of course, with the continuing predilection for individual style, it is a safe bet that hairstylists will not turn into clonemakers this spring and summer. Most will aim for a more natural, sometimes more sleek look.
"Hair in general, going into the '90s, is much shinier, healthier hair," said Patricia Traba, a spokeswoman for Supercuts, a nationwide chain with corporate headquarters in San Rafael, Calif.
That's not to say her company's stylists won't use products such as mousse and spray, "but the products we use will make hair look more healthy and shiny - shine being the key," she said.
The new looks in hair aim to deflate the pouf and turn off electric-frizz perms. The new model for beauty will look less like Cher in a video and more like Eve in the garden.
"We'll be doing make-downs, instead of make-overs, bringing clients closer to their natural coloring, cutting hair to be more natural and healthy," said Babette Beja, salon coordinator for Umberto, a Beverly Hills salon. "The days of torturing hair into unnatural, trendy shapes are over."
Those styles will require less mousse, spray and work to achieve, said Beja.
The more natural, no-spray look will fit the head more closely, with sleek waves giving way to natural yet controlled curls, said Allen Edwards, owner of Allen Edwards salons in various Southern California locations.
"Cuts follow the natural contour of the head, with hair swept forward to emphasize certain facial features," Edwards said.
For men, the natural trend will lead to more blended and tapered looks, said Supercuts' Traba.
And anyone acquainted with a dye bottle might find this is the season to tone down the tone.
"Color is more believable and less artificial," Edwards said.
Edwards is promoting a West Coast look, the California Freestyle, which he called the perfect match for the unconstructed looks shown on the spring fashion runways.
"This cut reflects a dramatic Malibu Beach influence," he said. The style is a loose, layered cut - short at the nape and progressively longer toward the front to well past the shoulders - that just shakes into place.
The California Freestyle, with its forward-sloping cut, signals a return to the look of the '60s.
"A lot of work done in the '60s is incorporated in the '90s," Trauba said. "That includes straight-across bangs, the bob and hair that's a little bouffant on top."
The return to simplicity and simpler hair styles can be traced to maturing baby boomers, said Beja.
"Flower children of the '60s are now adults," Beja said. "Our message is: `Relax and get real.' "
Memo: Spring Fashion