(Full disclosure: This mainly has to do with hair and makeup, as dresses are entirely their own category. Though, not sure about anyone else, I preferred a lot of the "after-party" gowns to what was worn on the red carpet. But that's another story...)
Soft, unstructured and sweet. These are elements from the 2014 Oscars
that local experts believe will carry forward, particularly in Charlotte.
There’s always at least one beloved or trending element - hair, makeup, dress
style - that gets recreated by the masses after the red carpet gets rolled back
up.
Old Hollywood
glamour is
expected to be a big request with everyone from women attending special events
to teens for the upcoming prom season.
Sandra Bullock, Kate Hudson
and Jennifer Lawrence were the celebs named most frequently by local stylists
for representing the night’s best.
“Everything was sweeter this year, very soft and ethereal looking, almost
like it could have been from ‘Frozen’,” said Tonya Reid, owner and stylist at
T. Reid & Company in
Dilworth.
A refreshing change from the perfect doughnut buns and sky-high ponytails of
past seasons were the long, relatively simple styles at the Oscars, Reid said.
“I noticed the trends are changing, things are not as
severe.”
The hair
“Every year, post-award season, we definitely see more and more photos coming
in of celeb styles from different red carpet looks,” said Terra Hines, stylist
at
Varji & Varji Salon & Spa in
SouthPark.
The Academy Awards appear to be the event that bring out elegance in the
stars, Hines said, noting
Margot Robbie was another who wore their hair in a way she believes will be replicated around
Charlotte in the coming months.
“The biggest trend that I noticed this year were the stars wearing their hair
down, curled and either pinned and tucked to the side or tucked behind an ear,”
she said.
This trend isn’t entirely new, Hines said, but a recurring classic. Last year,
she had several clients request similar side-swept, curled looks, particularly the style
Jennifer Lopez wore at the 2013 Golden Globes, she said.
But the loose, long curls and wavy styles will be considerably different among the younger crowd,
Hines said, after requests for lots of braids dominated prom season in
Charlotte. “When it comes to prom last year, the largest influences came from
“The Hunger Games” styles.”
Reid doesn’t believe braids have come to an end, but will be a way for the
prom set to give texture to the side-swept styles. “Or you could put a pretty
brooch or something sparkly (where the hair gets secured at one side), which
could really play it up,” she said.
"Or y could take that side of the hair and do a chain of knots or loops ... There are ways you could make it a little more interesting,playful and youthful."
For those with shorter hair, local experts said Jennifer Lawrence's red carpet pompadour
up-style impressed on a number of levels.
Chelsea Below, a stylist with
Shine Salon in Elizabeth, said the volume in
the front
JLaw’s 2014 Oscar style “was
really different” and gave great inspiration for a formal, but playful and temporary, change.
“We’re seeing a trend toward shorter styles. That (could) be a challenge with
prom to see how to change it up.”
And volume isn’t just for those with shorter hair, Below said, but all
lengths and ages. “We’re seeing a lot more volume than a couple years ago.
Instead of sleek, straight hair, there’s move volume, waves, (in styles) up or
down.”
Jennifer
Misenheimer is one of two
stylists at
Escape Hair & Skin Studio in
SouthEnd who mainly does special occasion styles, such as prom and weddings. Hands down, Lawrence wore the next hottest
trend with her tousled crop,
Mishenheimer said.
“It’s between a bob and pixie cut, between the shoulder and jawline,” she
said. Unlike a traditional bob, the perimeter of trending crop cuts remains one
length with choppy, textured layers.
JLaw also disproved the misconception that
updos are
impossible with shorter lengths,
Misenheimer said. “There are a lot of interesting
new twists to put waves in and tease short hair."
“With the shorter haircut, we’re starting to see a lot of clients warm up as
celebrities do it. There’s been long hair for awhile, and it will stay a trend,
but my more fashion-forward clients are going towards these cuts.”
Especially for those who dare the seriously short styles,
Misenheimer said, hair accessories are expected to
grow in popularity, thanks to
Lupita Nyong’o’s “fabulous” jeweled headband.
The Makeup
What was noticeable about Oscar makeup is that it wasn’t, said
Kenna Ehman, a stylist and makeup artist at the Hearst Tower location of
Modern Salon & Spa.
“In general there were a lot of very soft nude lips, not a lot of blush, but
very natural,” she said.
Proving popular was an abundance of “really accentuated” lashes - real or
false - with smokey eyes using natural tones of shadows or cat eyes using only
liner and no shadow, she said.
“Very pretty but not over the top, it looks like they did their own hair and
makeup even though you know they didn’t,” she said. “It’s very re-creatable,
which is awesome.”
Misenheimer agreed, citing
Bullock again as an example. “You didn’t see very bold looks, everyone was
looking more natural, with softer looks.”
And the men?
"I'm not sure about men with hombre hair," Misenheimer said with a laugh.
"But if anyone can do it, Jared Leto can," she said of his subtle two-tone locks.
Another surprising trendsetter for men was Johnny Weir and his pompadour, Misenheimer said.
"Johnny looked quirky and right on trend." She's noticed a number of male models who have updated the style of shorter/shaved on the sides with a longer, often slicked-back length over the top turning to blow-outs for yes, more volume.
Expect to see more pompadour in edgier men's fashion, she said, and even on the local hipster scene.
Honorable mentions
Color has to be considered, Misenheimer said, citing Liza Minnelli's cobalt blue streak and Kelly Osbourne's continued work in pastel lavender.
"How bold is that to wear something like that to the Oscars, where it's all glamour? Those two were great."
While pastels have been popular in hair for some time, Misenheimer said she expects to see more bold colors like Minnelli's, as a nod to the returning 90's styles, particularly in Charlotte.
"I've got clients wanting streaks and panels of bold colors. It's right on trend."