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Hair apparent
Toni and Guy, internationally renowned hairdressers of British origin, brought their label to Karachi recently as they formally launched their salon here. The evening was celebrated by a short hair show presenting the avant-garde possibilities of Asian hair. Organized by Saeeda Mandviwalla, who’ll be managing the salon in Karachi, the show launched Tazeen Hasan’s exclusive line of clothing. Whether in hairstyling or fashion, the evening presented the possibilities of how international trends could subtly be adapted to suit the local mood.
It is evident that the country is waking up to changing styles from around the world, and not just in fashion. Trends in hair and beauty management are becoming more experimental and global.
As with the hair, the clothes too were all about cut and colour; funky, turnaround styles, which were largely pristine and modern but had an element of drama and the slightest bit of shock value. In the last segment, Christian and Myesha Abel demonstrated how hair could be turned around with just a flick of the hand
“We see Karachi as an up-and-coming city,” said Christian Mascolo, son of Toni and the director of the brand, after the show. “It has its finger on the pulse, which makes it perfect for Toni and Guy.” He explained that the image was not just about total madness, as seen on catwalks, but was mostly about day-to-day sophistication and suitability. The goal was to adapt the brand’s philosophy to concepts around the world.
Following short speeches made by company representatives and an extremely humorous punctuation by British Deputy High Commissioner David Pearey, the show itself was tasteful and elegant. Models, old and new, wore clothes made by Tazeen Hasan exclusively for the show. She commented later that being a perfectionist, she could never bring herself to compromise on standards for a fashion show. Her clothes were mostly western cuts tailored to modern shalwar kameezes, and the fittings were ideal as each outfit was made according to individual measurements.
“We initially chose white and silver to highlight the hair colour of models which, like most of the country, is dark,” she said. “Lots of colour was then brought in to break the monotony.”
As with the hair, the clothes too were all about cut and colour; funky, turnaround styles, which were largely pristine and modern but had an element of drama and the slightest bit of shock value. In the last segment, Christian and Myesha Abel demonstrated how hair could be turned around with just a flick of the hand. It was all in the expertise. The models exhibited all dimensions of hair styling. ZQ walked in with her brand new cut (given by Nabila a day before), Vinnie with loose curls, Tanya with braids in her already beautiful hair and Nadia with a whole pack of pins creating a crimped style. Nida sported a looped-cap look, obviously demonstrating the wonders of what could be done. Also on the ramp were classic short cuts and of course, the boys.
The salon opened last week to only a selected handful of clients, as the staff was under one week’s vigorous training by stylists Myesha Abel and Grace Inzalaco. Having studied at the London College of Fashion, Saeeda has trained extensively with Vidal Sassoon and Toni and Guy, UK. Her experience goes back 25 years when she worked in Britain before she moved to Pakistan. She has been managing her own salon since then.
She later emphasized how crucial education was to hairdressing. It was about learning concepts and adapting them to individual clients. Bringing the brand here was one of her aspirations and she now hopes to take it further by launching a Toni and Guy academy.
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