Nothing says runway ready quite like wet-look hair – the style dominated the catwalks this season. There were lacquered lengths at Balenciaga, Ambush, and Fendi, and slicked-back or side-swept moments at Burberry, Miu Miu, and Schiaparelli. Meanwhile, at Giambattista Valli, hairstylist Cyndia Harvey took things up a notch, completely drenching models’ hair for an ultra glossy, just-emerged-from-water look.
“The high-shine finish is super impactful on the runway and always feels modern if done well,” says Harvey. “It adds a point of view without being too conceptual, [for example] the feeling of rebirth was a key reference on the runway this season for the Giambattista Valli show.” It was a similar trope that Harvey evoked at Simone Rocha a season earlier, where the theme of the collection was baptism and holy communion. But it doesn’t always have to be so literal. “It’s a look that can feel sexy, glamorous and expensive, or equally hard and masculine,” says Harvey. “It’s definitely a bold look, but it can be surprisingly wearable.”
But what about life away from the runway? How best to ensure the results are directional, not drowned rat? “The key to making it cool is to keep it feeling effortless,” says Harvey. Not convinced? Here, Harvey shares her top tips for nailing wet-look hair at home.