behind the cover with garren takes on texture As a session artist, you never know what the day will bring. The model’s hair could be pin straight or tightly coiled—and you may or may not be briefed ahead of time on what the photographer or client requires. So as you’re unpacking your kit and sipping your first coffee, you may be informed that you will be expected to transform a head full of riotous curls into a sleek curtain of hair, or that the art director would like the model with the baby fine strands to step onto the set sporting luscious ringlets. For more Garren Garren has worked with a wide range of textures over the course of his career, and has encountered a wide range of requests for each of those textures. Here’s advice, search Garren on a look at some texture extremes that he has created, demonstrating the versatility of every hair type. liya kebede –natural, polished and sleek glamorous: This Vogue fashion shoot required a voluminously polished look. Garren misted damp hair with Garren New York Designing Spray Tonic and blew the hair dry with a small, round brush, shaping each section into coils. Then he curled the hair with a one- inch Hot Tools Marcel Model curling iron and placed each section into a pincurl. After setting the entire head (back section directed to the nape in standup pincurls; side sections directed downward in flat pincurls) he allowed the hair to cool completely, removed the pincurls and brushed through with a vent brush. tip: “This is all her hair—that’s what you get when you work in one-inch sections. You can’t take shortcuts if you want volume like this.” explosive: For this Dolce & Gabbana ad, Garren was asked to enhance Liya’s natural, softly curled texture. He applied L’Oreal Nature’s Therapy Mega Smooth Unfrizz Taming Mist to damp hair to seal the cuticle smooth: “Sophisticated and straight” and define curl. He pushed the product into was the brief for this Vogue cover. Garren the hair, styling it at the same time with his carefully blow dried the hair section-by-section hands, then dried it with a diffuser. To release with a large, round, boar bristle brush. Then, the texture, he combed through strands with a beginning in back, he smoothed each section wide-tooth comb and ran some Moroccanoil with a comb and flat iron. He placed the iron Oil Treatment through the ends with his slightly off base on top to maintain lift at the fingers for shine. root. Finally, he backcombed the crown, using tip: “If you disturb curl before it’s completely his fingers for a “roughed up” piece-y effect. dry, you’ll break up the cuticle and get frizz.” tip: “I avoid hot metal round brushes because they are too hot for this dry, delicate hair type.” photos by Steven Meisel going to extremes kinky cool: For this hair story for Glamour magazine, Garren was asked to magnify the African American model’s natural, tightly coiled texture. He applied L’Oreal Nature’s Therapy Mega Smooth Unfrizz Taming Mist to the waist-length hair, combed the product through with a wide-tooth comb, and gathered it into a loose ponytail to dry completely. Then he created a deep side part and arranged the hair with his hands once the model had settled back against a chaise on the set. tip: “To soften the kinky texture slightly, I could have placed the hair into one or two loose braids to dry.” in the loop: “This is stick straight, baby fine hair,” Garren reveals, and the Allure concept called for curls. Garren misted damp hair with Garren New York Designing Spray Tonic, followed by Rene Furterer Volumea Volumizing Mousse, tilted the model’s head forward and dried it for maximum volume. Next, he set the entire head in half-inch sections, using a tiny curling iron and clipping pincurls flat to the head, all directed toward the face. Once the hair cooled, he removed the clips, flipped the model’s head forward and brushed through with a Mason Pearson brush. tip: “With volumizing mousse and tiny sections, curls will last all day photos by Tesh even on this fine hair type.” beach to ball up and out: Later on the same day, Garren created this dramatic upsweep on the same model. He backcombed one inch sections on the entire head and misted the hair with Evian water. He diffused the hair in large sections, which produced the frizzy texture on the backcombed hair. He smoothed the surface with a Mason Pearson brush without disturbing the backcombing, wrapped the hair above the nape into a high French twist and left the lengths unfastened. tip: “When restyling, a light mist of Evian reactivates the styling photos by Michael Thompson products that were originally model: Julia Stegner placed in the hair.” Oprah’s first cover The queen assembled a dream team for her first cover ofVogue : Garren styled her hair, Pat McGrath did her make-up, Paul Cavaco was responsible for her wardrobe wave pattern: The first shot for this Allure hair story and Steven Meisel snapped the photos. showcased the model’s natural movement and texture. Garren She also brought her personal hairstylist applied Garren New York Designing Spray Tonic to damp along for moral support! Garren opted for a hair, directed the fringe forward, tucked the rest of the hair chic, flattering style—he blew her hair dry, behind the ears and air dried. set it on rollers, placed her under the dryer tip: “The cut is critical to this look—I used a scissor on the and then touched up where necessary lengths and notched the ends and I switched to a razor to with electric rollers and a curling iron. shape the face frame sections.” behind the cover with garren the truth behind on-camera transformations: then and now A drastic hair change is the quickest way for a model or celebrity to get instant attention. So much attention, in fact, that a new hairstyle can boost a flagging career or add fuel to one that’s already on fire. That fact hasn’t changed for decades, says Garren, but what has changed is how those transformations are performed. “In the past,” he says, “models and celebrities would actually cut their hair and change their color. Today, though, it’s all done with wigs.” The upshot for a stylist who hopes to develop editorial and advertising photography clients in this day and age, Garren declares, is to master the art of wig work. “You must know how to choose, cut, set and style modern wigs and pieces,” he says. “I also use temporary track extensions that are glued or clipped in Garren named as judge for RAW, when we need to add length or highlights.” BTC’s live judging hair show competition! Here, Garren reveals the concepts behind some of his most notable hair makeovers—from the past when the artistry was Sunday, June 3 at Premiere Orlando based on cutting and styling, and from present day when masterful wig work allows models and actresses to be transformed in an get your tickets at behindthechair.com/raw instant…and then restored to their everyday personas. Follow Garren on Facebook for more insights into the most iconic fashion images of the decades. past transformations facebook.com/garrennewyork Lisa Marie Presley Courtney Love Vogue | April 1996 Italian Vogue | April 1997 photographer: Steven Meisel photographer: Steven Meisel editor: Grace Coddington editor: Brana Wolf makeup: Laura Mercier makeup: Pat McGrath “This was at a time when “At the time of this shoot, she was at a crossroads Courtney had just done the in her life,” Garren shares. The People vs. Larry Flynt “She came to the sitting and was headed to the with long blonde hair. We Academy Awards,” says thought it would be cool Garren. “But she was still to give her a version of punked out with shaggy, her father’s haircut. She broken hair. We gave her thought about it and said, this blunt bob with bangs ‘Why not? It’s Meisel and and when she arrived at Garren. I’ll do it!’ This the Oscars in a Versace makeover really put her in gown, she went from being the spotlight as her own, the lead singer of Hole to a adult person.” sophisticated lady.” present day transformations Michelle Williams GQ | February 2012 photographer: Michael Thompson editor: Madeline Weeks makeup: Jo Strettel “By the time we did this shoot to promote her role in My Week With Marilyn, Michelle’s hair was cropped short,” Garren reveals. “So we created this wig that evoked her sexual, vulnerable character in the film. She owned the look and the wig was a big part of it.” Linda Evangelista Alberta Ferretti campaign | Spring 1991 photographer: Steven Meisel makeup: Francois Nars Katy Perry “This was at the height of her career,” Interview | March 2012 remembers Garren, “at a time when photographer: Mikael Jansson the supermodels were all into changing editor: Karl Templer their color and style. They were up for Gucci Westman anything. For this look, we went with makeup: an Andy Warhol inspiration—bleached “She was in the midst of her divorce and Katy blonde on top with dark, clippered decided she was game for coming across as sides. In today’s world, we would never sultry and sexy, rather than as a pop artist with be allowed to do this by the model’s blue hair in this shoot,” says Garren.