A Good Life on Christmas Eve. Trying to out-do Margo Leadbetter!

Creating a seventies look for Claire with Kamani Lomas on Christmas Eve

We have a very special guest blogger today, Claire Violet Hanley, whose enthusiasm for the 1970s made our Christmas Eve at Vintage Hair Lounge supremely retro chic. Over to you Claire.....

"Today I will dress up as Betty from Frank Spencer", I posted up on facebook a few months back. My friends are used to such eccentricity, as there is no era of history in which I haven't revelled. From Anglo Saxon bog woman, medieval peasant, Tudor skivvy, Regency dancer to 1940s make do and mend. I've dressed up in all the costumes and collect them avidly. But expert film industry standard hairdos and makeup is Vintage Hair Lounge territory and something I cannot recreate on my own (my idea of a beauty routine being occasionally bothering to comb my hair!)

Michele Dotrice (Betty) and Michael Crawford (Frank) in seventies sitcom Some Mothers Do  'Ave 'Em

Sharon, who has worked on film sets such as the The Young Victoria, amongst others, can recreate expert styles and glamour which put my feeble make up attempts to shame. When I saw Sharon and the team on Christmas Eve I was ready for the blazing colours of the seventies as part of my new folkie “I’d like to sing just like Joni Mitchell” vibe, (as you do!). The 1970s have a special allure to me, having been born just at the end of them in 1978. Rolling in cornfields, Tom and Barbara, Margo and Jerry, big hair, Carry On films, bright blue eye shadow, techni-colour maxi dresses “I’m sure it’ll come back into fashion” I repeat in vain to my sceptical friends.

Full of enthusiasm, Sharon needed no persuasion and went with it. She had inspiration books at the ready; one of them opened up on the Carry On page.

Barbara Windsor in the iconic Carry On Camping

I had in my hand a black and white photo of my auntie Maggie from 1972 and pointed at her ribonned auburn ringlets. “Big hair for you!”. Sharon beamed and her enthusiasm infiltrated even my burgeoning locks, which grew bigger by the minute in rollers under the dryer.

Claire channeling Karen Carpenter

By the time the hairdo and makeup was completed I was effervescing with excitement and changed into two different 70’s dresses even though I had no event to attend that evening! It was Christmas Eve and most people were thinking about turkeys. I was quite happy not to be! I only wished I’d brought some pineapple chunks and cheese on sticks for a Mike Leigh style retro party... and perhaps a prawn cocktail. Next time perhaps! The best Christmas present ever. I think even Margo would have been envious at the decadence and glamour of my Christmas eve!

Thanks to Kayleigh, Kamani and Sharon.

Thankyou so much to Claire for making our Christmas Eve so special. We couldn't complete this retro piece without the last word from our very own seventies icon, Karen Carpenter, singing Close To You. Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year, love and peace for 2012.

In Praise of Great Make-up Artistry

Danielle "Dee" Ball forties style by Scott Chalmers, makeup by Sharon Holloway at Vintage Hair Lounge

My makeup career began at the famed school of film and tv hair and makeup, Greasepaint, many years ago. I was never interested in "beauty", rather I had been captivated as a child with how people looked on tv and in films. Carry On Screaming monsters had scared the living daylights out of me, but everything from seventies tv comedies like It Ain't Half Hot Mum and the Two Ronnies to Bond films and Grease presented so many fascinations as to how actors were made to look the part whatever the situation, whatever the era portrayed, and whatever the comic or dramatic scene demanded.

Through experience as a screen makeup artist you learn continuously, not just the technical and creative skills required for particular looks, but about film stock, cameras, lenses, lighting and post-production grading, and all these considerations inform the decisions you make as to how to bring characters to life that fit the Director's vision. The myth that actors are cast because they already "look like" the character was never more shattered than in the film Monster, where Charlize Theron gave an Oscar winning performance as serial killer Aileen Wuornos, and wore one of my favourite screen makeups ever. An absolutely stunning piece of work, highlighted even moreso when in side by side comparison with her recent outing in Dior's perfume ad.

Charlize Theron in Monster

Charlize Theron in Dior ad

In recent years many high profile artists have spoken out about the amount of manipulation done to print photography and if you haven't seen the infamous Dove advert then here it is again.

And so to our most recent project, Seeing You, a film and photoshoot initially for our collaboration with clothing giants EAST, and now serving to highlight how to achieve a really authentic forties film look to hair and makeup. I shot the film in High Definition and no grading took place - the film images are exactly as they were shot and compare well to the skillfully lit and technically accomplished stills produced by the brilliant Scott Chalmers. But once again, as with all images on screen or in photos, their creation is a multi-faceted project with skills and talents from several directions. Model Dee's striking appearance is a culmination of all these factors and talents, and makeup that makes people look beautiful (in colour or in black and white) should be no more underestimated than makeup that makes people look demonstrably different from their "normal" appearance. In my career it's always been the special effects, prosthetics and injury makeups that have drawn the most responses from crew, presumably because they can "see it". When a beautiful woman walks on set, it's a real sense of achievement to receive a similar acknowledgement!

Makeup artistry is a highly skilled craft however and wherever it is being performed; on stage, in print or on screen, and the best thing about it is that your actor / model / artist has, for a few hours, actually become your living piece of art.

'Seeing You' Through The Lens

Photography by Scott Chalmers

Our latest collaboration with Southampton based photographer Scott Chalmers has created some stunning forties style images to promote West Quay Vintage Fayre taking place on 3 and 4 August. With just two weeks to countdown, we were approached by Southampton's EAST store to join forces for the event and we jumped at the opportunity to appear live doing vintage hair and make-up demonstrations at EAST throughout these exciting two days. The first task in hand was to put together a photoshoot to create the total forties inspired look with EAST's new "Land Girl" vintage collection.

Poster design by Cassie Leedham. Photography by Scott Chalmers

So within just a few days we were prepped and ready to go; the shoot was to take place on Wednesday 20 July and we had just one hour to get the shots. Our beautiful model Dee pitched up at the EAST store the day before to be fitted with the outfits with the help of Patricia Keenan, and our own Sharon Holloway, armed of course with a library full of original Land Girl images to get the colour palette and the style bang on for the look. The hair and make-up design by Vintage Hair Lounge had similarly already been researched and trialled, and Scott was making plans for how to cope with the gloomy weather that we were anticipating for the shoot evening!

On the day itself, despite the intermittent rain, evocative of wartime Britain (we consoled ourselves), the key was to choose locations for photographs that were close by to the West Quay Shopping Centre but reminiscent enough of a rural past to give a timeless earthy atmosphere, and what better opportunity for Southampton's historic City walls to oblige.



And then the work really started! With the photos and film footage in the can, Good Show Studio designer Cassie Leedham once again proved why she is a Vintage Hair Lounge favourite, creating a stunning vintage magazine style poster design to promote the event.

Then to the editing, and a new short film was crafted under the patient supervision of Gang Girls editor Andrew Wilks. I'd started to firmly establish a style of filmmaking that I was inspired by, and as with Gang Girls, new film 'Seeing You' has style and informality that exudes emotion as soon as the right lyrical track is applied. So it was without hesitation that Miss Annie's version of wartime classic "I'll be Seeing You", recorded in the same session as Gang Girls soundtrack Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down), was chosen to take the imagery to a new meaningful level.

Photography by Scott Chalmers

From 3 and 4 August through to 31 October, every purchaser of full price items at the EAST West Quay store will receive a very special gift from Vintage Hair Lounge, namely an exclusive 15% off discount voucher for all Ladies hairdressing services. We hope that the inspiration of vintage and classic looks whether authentic or inspired with a modern twist, will endure and show the world that Southampton is bursting with style!

Photography by Scott Chalmers

Vintage Hair Lounge LIVE at EAST, West Quay Vintage Fayre, 3 & 4 August 2011

We look forward to seeing you.

LottyBlue, our first Guest Blogger!

http://wwww.lottyblue.co.uk/store

Welcome to LottyBlue, our newest guest blogger.

"I am very excited to be writing this guest blog post for Vintage Hair Lounge thank you so much for the opportunity" - LottyBlue, Retro Homeware.


The good old days of the 1950's and 60's are making a return in big way. Through fashion we are seeing the styles that are parents generation wore becoming once again fashionable, I was delighted to see the new collection by radio 1 DJ and T.V presenter  this week which has been inspired by 60's Pop Art.

Fearne Cotton goes sixties

Hair styles too are reminiscent of the 50's Hollywood glamour and 60's chic!.

Maddy Hobbs in sixties film Gang Girls. Photography by Scott Chalmers

Jade Richards does Hollywood Glamour at Vintage Hair Lounge

Ercol best known for its amazing contribution to British furniture design in the 1950's and 60's are making a return. Their classic designs are elegant and timeless and stores such as John Lewis have commissioned them to design a unique range for their stores.

Also Vintage Shows such as Twinwood and Vintage at Goodwood are becoming immensely popular showcasing the talents of such stars like Miss Lola Lamour.

Lola Lamour

Not only does today’s modern woman want to look fabulous themselves but also their home too. Of course for some the love of all things retro and vintage has never gone away but for most it is an a exciting time to rediscover this fabulous era and to celebrate what made Britain special. 

Home plays a big part in our lives it is where we relax and feel most comfortable. LottyBlue's unique style has something for everyone from stunning period furniture that can be mixed and matched with modern contemporary styles to vintage inspired homeware that will add nostalgic accents to your home. We love vintage style and have a keen interest in preserving our heritage through upcycling and restoring vintage classic furniture such as Ercol, G Plan, Nathan and Younger just to name a few. 

http://wwww.lottyblue.co.uk/store

Vintage aprons not only are practical but our aprons have the style and look of a 1950's house wife with classic colours and shape you will be transformed in to a glamorous stylish domesticated goddess. We can't promise they will transform your cooking or turn your home in to a show home but you will look and feel fabulous!!

We understand that the look and style is important. LottyBlue is contently searching for new retro inspired homeware for we believe that the styles from the 50's and the 60's are iconic and part of our culture one that should be kept alive for future generations to love too. 

To read more about styling your home subscribe to our newsletter  or please see our blog http://lottyblue.co.uk/blog

FriendsofBettie would love to thank LottyBlue for a great posting and add our own favourite LottyBlue item currently gracing the styling stations of Vintage Hair Lounge, these fabulous drinks coasters featuring some iconic retro vehicles, including a rather spectacular Lambretta!

http://wwww.lottyblue.co.uk/store

For more information, and great items, LottyBlue can be found at
http://LottyBlue.co.uk
http://twitter.com/LottyBlue
http://facebook.com/LottyBlue

Vintage Hairstyling For Camera Course

Toni Carter of Classy Chassis models for Nicki Grainger. Photo by Claire Shannan

Training in the hairdressing industry means keeping up to date with trends, techniques and sharpening skills to produce ever improving services for clients. So with "vintage" appearing everywhere from tv shows to catwalks, the opportunities for hairdressers, freelancers and enthusiastic amateurs have exploded. If you saw the recent "Great British Hairdresser" television series, it's clear that salon based hair artistry is only part of the picture, and at Vintage Hair Lounge we come from a background of creative styling for the screen, which is why our newest course, launched in May 2011 focusses on performance for camera. A hairstyle that can punch above its weight, looking sleek and interesting under the camera's unforgiving gaze, requires excellence in creating a strong shape, clean finish, and high visual impact. And if the same output is accessible to salon clients, you win on all fronts!


"I have loved the whole experience. I have learnt so much just within two days" - Taidi

Joanna by Karl. Photo by Claire Shannan

Our two day course emphasises the key skills which lay the foundation for all types of vintage styling from the 1920s through to the 1980s, set against a thorough overview of the history of modern ladies' hairdressing. In understanding the development of shapes and techniques, students are given a working knowledge of the social and cultural influences that affected the way women wore their hair at different times in the twentieth century. Once this grounding is absorbed, it becomes easier to make sense of the techniques to create specific shapes for the period desired, and helps break the illusion that all "vintage" styles are interchangeable era by era, a mistake that even top hairdressers make when recreating vintage looks.

 "Loved it! I was throwing myself in at the deep end having never done hair styling but felt very supported and comfortable" - Nicki

Louise models for Taidi. Photo by Claire Shannan

For salons, there are great opportunities to develop vintage hairstyling services, and for individual artists there is huge potential for nurturing a retro portfolio of work both inside and outside of the salon. Given how brilliantly our students performed in just two intensive days, the Vintage Hairstyling For Camera Course is now a proven gem in hairdressing training and at just £325 inc VAT, it's also amazing value for money.

More photos from our May course can be found on our Facebook page and full details of the course are listed at Courses Plus.

Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) From Kill Bill to Gang Girls

Miss Annie in screen shot from Gang Girls, directed by Sharon Holloway

When Quentin Tarantino chose the 1966 Nancy Sinatra cover version of Sonny Bono's Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) for the soundtrack of his movie Kill Bill Volume 1, it became one of the most iconic songs in film history. The haunting tones of Billy Strange's melancholic guitar and Nancy's beautiful voice was stunningly apt for a storyline centered on a traumatised woman seeking justice. The PSM remix did even more to mark the track out as a further reinvention of the song's lasting sentiments.

So when our short film Gang Girls was in the stages of pre-production, it wasn't long before we too recognised the power of this song to be able to reinforce the storyline of a young woman searching for her identity in the sixties when the youth culture of mods OR rockers was firmly embedded in her upbringing. In just over three minutes, I had the challenge as a director of finding an obviously sixties song which could be refreshed and which could still add another dimension to a visual piece which contained no on screen dialogue from our cast. The lyrics of Bang Bang both coveyed an inner turmoil and a resolution for the protagonist, one obvious reason behind the decision of Tarantino to use it to highlight the plight and the journey of The Bride, played with such passion by Uma Thurman in his 2003 Kill Bill film.

With the spectacular Miss Annie, of Bournemouth's The Regular Joes and The Kitty Kat Cabaret Club fame, on board (Miss Annie also features in Gang Girls), and ready to go in to the studio to record a soundtrack for us, I was confident that a brilliant new version of Bang Bang was capable of being created. My live interview on local Radio Station Radio Solent last night, in which both Cher's original version and part of Miss Annie's new version were played was such an exciting moment. It provided further recognition for the choice of song and Miss Annie's powerful vocals if ever that was needed. The interview can be heard on BBC iplayer until 29 May 2011 here.

Don't get me wrong, I'm neither pretending to be the next Tarantino, nor am I wedded to copying his work, but I am admirer for the Kill Bill films, because with so few female directors around at the top of the film industry, finding inspiration for strong female storylines on the big screen doesn't often stretch to retro action movies! I also applaud him for integrating the 5, 6, 7, 8s in his soundtrack and the film - Japanese beehives and great music all in one hit!

Returning to the great Nancy Sinatra for a moment, it cannot be denied that her look was also an inspiration for the hair and make-up design on one of our retro girl gang members, Maddy Hobbs.

Maddy Hobbs in Gang Girls. Hair & Make-up Design Vintage Hair Lounge. Photo by Scott Chalmers

So if you've not seen Gang Girls yet, grab a cuppa, give yourself a three minute break and watch and listen here.

Gang Girls, featuring Shana Swash and Miss Annie is now heading for the big screen on the film festival circuit. More news will be posted here.

Southampton Hair Salon Redefining Vintage

What do you want from a modern hairdressing salon? Great cuts that last. Colour expertise. Outstanding customer service. Tips and hints on maintaining a great style in between salon visits. A relaxing atmosphere that makes you feel good about yourself and your hair. The demands are high, the challenges are great, but at Vintage Hair Lounge we work on the basis that "vintage" isn't just about a fashion look or a way of life, it's about excellence. Simple as that.

We rather like this dictionary definition of vintage.
"adjective. Denoting something from the past of high quality, especially something representing the best of its kind"

That certainly covers more familiar territory when it comes to wine, cars and clothes for example. A wider understanding of the concept of "vintage" extends to the style of something, as in "historical", "retro" or "antique". So when we apply that thinking to hairstyling we are not just thinking about the recreation of period hairstyles, as in the shapes and styles of the 1920s through to the 1980s, we are also thinking about the contribution to the process of traditional skills, and an approach which is fundamentally about quality personal interaction.


The fact that so few hairdressers and hair salons can offer vintage hairstyling or traditional wet shaving for men is a sign that these once key foundation hairdressing and barbering skills have diminished in the industry and industry training. But it doesn't necessarily follow that the reason for this is lack of demand from the public. Being able to set, style and dress hair in traditional ways, or skillfully use a razor on a guy's face aren't just faddish add-ons to modern services. The skills reflect an expertise in the craft of hairdressing and barbering which are always being built upon, reinvented and added to as new tools, methods and products are developed.


So if your hairdresser or barber has these skills you can be reassured.


We often hear that some hairdressing salons have become conveyor belts, rushing clients in and out without a great deal of personal attention. Like whizzing round the supermarket, sometimes convenience in these time-poor lives we lead, is a massive bonus. But in hairdressing, you live with the results of your salon visit every day thereafter and a bad service, carried out in an indifferent environment is certainly not how modern hairdressing started 100 years ago. We now have such advancements in the technology and science of hairdressing tools, methods and products, that hairdressing should be regarded as a high quality high status profession bursting with talent on every front. In some instances that is absolutely true, but it is by no means the case across the whole industry.


So when you are looking for a great hairdresser and a great salon, "vintage" is virtually an unofficial trademark of quality, whatever the service. Like a fine wine, you will be getting the best.


Vintage Hair Lounge, 118 High Street, Southampton SO14 2AA    02380 337109  Online booking at www.vintagehairlounge.com