As a Comme des Garçons ad from 1978 wins the Loves vote for AnOthermag.com editor Laura Bradley, we celebrate the frizz hair look it pioneers
It's a fact, Comme des Garçons do ad campaigns like no one else. Earlier in the year, the brilliantly unexpected A/W88 ad depicting two young girls in braces sharing a hearty laugh, scooped the Loves vote. And now this perfect shot from 1978 of a brooding model, with dark lips and long, frizzed hair, staring captivatingly into the camera, has proved a resounding win for AnOthermag.com editor Laura Bradley.
Since the arrival of chemical hair straightening and GHD straightners, there has been a trend for sleek, shimmering locks that fall perfectly into place no matter how much you flip, shake and ruffle. No hair product ads ever show frizzy hair in a positive light, only as the "before" nightmare that precedes a "miraclous" transformation by way of various anti-frizz shampoos, conditioners and serums. But in the free-spirited 70s, natural was in and those with frizz hair learned how to work it – look no further than beguiling beauty Grace Coddington and her iconic shock of voluminous red hair.
Happily the 2010s have seen a more embracing approach to frizz in fashion. For Marc Jacobs S/S11, hairstylist Guido Palau created huge, puffball hairstyles using upside down blowdrying, thickening lotion and copious amounts of hair spray and pins, dubbing it the "Grace Coddington frizz"; while Marc by Marc Jacobs A/W13 saw similarly billowing barnets, this time channeling more of an 80s Madonna aesthetic. Schiaparelli's S/S14 Haute Couture show featured another striking Coddington tribute, the model sporting a vast tangerine wig to complement a 70s style maxi dress. Other iconic, big haired babes in popular culture include Solange Knowles, Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver and an 80s Brooke Shields.
So before we ditch the anti-frizz serum and reach for the hair spray, we catch up with Bradley to find out more about her favourite Comme decade, which taboo beauty moment she'd most like to revive and where she'd take Rei Kawakubo for dinner.
Why did you choose to Love this Comme des Garçons image?
I love the visual language of Comme des Garçons. They have one of the most inspiring campaign archives of any design house.
What do you enjoy about the Comme des Garçons approach to campaigns?
Their campaigns don't feel like conventional campaigns. They can be funny; they ban be unexpected; they can be beautiful.
Frizzy hair has got a bad rep these days. What other taboo beauty moments would you like to see revived?
Let's bring back crimping.
What's your favourite decade in Comme history?
The first decade – I love looking at Rei's early ideas and see how these have evolved throughout Comme history.
If you were to have dinner with Rei Kawakubo, where would you take her?
A roast cooked by my mum, in Leicester. Imagine!
What are you most excited about this summer?
WORD WEEK on anothermag.com. Kicking off 28th July.
What's the last thing you bought?
A mouse mat with a picture of my cat, Florence on it.
Text by Daisy Woodward
