Olivier Theyskens SS19: Natural Chaos

Esteemed for his romantic, gothic-glam aesthetic - Olivier Theyskens’ SS19 collection lived up to expectations with a diverse yet simplistic collection.

Materials and patterns were at the heart of the experience, ranging from structured dresses that could be mistaken for wedding dresses to see-through knitwear paired with clashing, satin patterns. Leather, military style boots stomped the catwalk, evoking a goth-chic atmosphere, a current but perennial wardrobe.

Eugene Souleiman, ghd Fashion Week ambassador, answered this with a Sleepy Hollow-esque up-do throughout the collection which projected the idea that the models had actually slept on their hair. The desired outcome was a naturally textured, artfully chaotic style. ‘Natural Chaos’ was Souleiman’s desired outcome - beautiful clothes paired with undone, dishevelled, ‘three day old’ hair, finished with a tree branch which is slotted jarringly through the back of a falling ponytail. The end result was a moody, whimsical and artfully unsettling up-do, adorned with twigs so as to perfectly convey the story of a girl who, three nights ago, had her hair styled neatly and now, walks the catwalk dishevelled, unravelled and holding on to a mystifying secret.

The Technique

1. To begin, use your hands to pull all the hair back, leaving some separation in the hair - this is not a slicked back look. For texture, add Wella Professionals EIMI Ocean Spritz to give the ponytail grip, hold and leave the hair with a raw, un-tampered feel.

2. To get the desired volume, Eugene relied on the ghd Air hairdryer (£99); twist drying the hair before pulling back into a ponytail to give that added layer of lift required on some of the models. The hair is tied back and the adorning woodland twig is added with an invisible elastic band, ensuring everything feels seamless, mystical and dreamlike. Eugene’s process for this is:

The ponytail is then tucked-up, curled under the elastic band and then, around the face, some of the hair is pulled out from the ponytail - the effect is a wispy, messy framing of the face. We then squash the hair to the head so it looks almost slept on.

3. Hair is pulled from the squashed ponytail to complete the ‘falling out’ feel, with extensions added to the back for those requiring some extra fly-away length, and embellish the look with a crooked satin bow. The finishing touches entail a few final tugs of the hair around the face to give an extra element of wistfulness, just before the models hit the catwalk.