Carolina Herrera: Flowing Femininity


Doreen Guarneri, co-creator and artistic director for American Culture and co-owner of The Look Spa Salon in Greenlawn, NY, led the talented hair team that fashioned the soft, feminine looks at Carolina Herrera's CH Carolina's 2013 spring show. The colorful runway-to-retail show was a private American Express card-holder only event, which was held in collaboration with "Harper's Bazaar" and New York's Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.

Guarneri drew inspiration from a vibrant wardrobe of '50s looks, which included a myriad of styles ranging from crisp shirt dresses in black and white to satiny solid dresses and a plentitude of spring looks in strong stripes and a wide spectrum of colors ranging from soft dove grays to vivid reds, pinks and greens.

"I love doing hair, no matter what," says Doreen Guarneri, co-creator of American Culture brands and co-owner of The Look Spa Salon, American Culture Premiere Institute. "I always wanted to be a hairdresser and I enjoy every aspect of my profession and the many varied avenues it has allowed me to explore. There are always highlights and doing the CH Carolina show was most definitely a highlight! I enjoyed every minute backstage, knowing my contribution and team's creativity was an integral component to the success of the show.

HOT asked Guarneri about challenges that were specific to the show. "The challenges at a show are not all that different than the everyday challenges a hairdresser experiences behind-the- chair except that now you have models with different hair types and you have to create the exact same hairstyle on every one of them. That's a bit of a challenge especially when there are so many models to do and just like in the salon, the clock is ticking to show time."

For Guarneri, show highlights I included having the opportunity to meet Carolina Herrera in person. So, how did this star stylist begin to conceptualize the hair to coordinate with the collection? "As with all fashion shows, the hair has to take a backseat to the clothes," says Guarneri. "You can't have the audience looking at the hair, so it needs to be extremely discreet and in balance with the designs. The clothing had a soft flow to it and was definitely very girly. It just made sense to have hair with soft waves that flowed with the lines of the clothes. Pinning it back away from the face gave the models a very neat, clean look without distraction."

Recreate the Look:

1. Create a clean part wherever the natural part falls.

2. Section the hair from the top of the crown to the ear on both sides and clip it out of the way.

3. Take all of the hair, pick it up and give it a light spray with pure NV BKT Humidity Defense Styling Spray (aerosol).

4. Using approximately 3 large sections in the back, using a 1 l/2" - 2" barrel iron, vertically curl each section with the least amount of curl, creating a wave movement in the hair. Do not pin. Let it cool.

5. Take each side panel, backcomb slightly, pinning it directly behind the ear, hiding the section under the hair that you just curled. Lightly spray with pure NV BKT Humidity Defense Styling spray (aerosol) to hold the look in place.

6. Finish with a light spray of pure NV BKT Ker-Argan shine spray.

Products Used: