SAKS Hair and Beauty started off life 35 years ago with a small salon in County Durham and now has more than 140 branches nationwide, award-winning hairdressers and a host of celebrity clients. To celebrate its anniversary LIZ LAMB delved into the Saks archives to discover hairstyles past and present

WHO can forget the perm? Anyone who was anyone in the 80s had one.

Back then Saks was offering perms with a cut and blow dry for the bargain price of £13.95. (see advert).

Since it was founded in 1974, Saks has inspired women across the country to dye, cut and create new hairstyles for themselves.

Here its shows director Tracey Gallagher, who started hairdressing in the 1980s as a junior at Saks Stockton-on-Tees, talks us through some of the key looks across the decades with images from the Saks archives.

70s
IN the 60s everyone used to have their hair set in rollers and would sleep with a hairnet for the rest of the week to keep their hair set. But the 70s became the era of the cut and blow dry. Saks were the pioneers of the cut and blow-dry – people were queuing round the block to get into Saks because no one else was doing it.

As an era, it was the original boho decade, which has come full circle and is with us again now. Think Sienna Miller.

80s
THE Eighties were perm central. I remember being a junior at Saks Stockton towards the end of the 80s, when we did perm promotions and the salon would be swamped. We did 60 perms a day. I’d find myself neutralising two clients at the same time.

If the hair stayed still long enough, it got permed! Kids were even having perms! Even I had one.

Throughout the 80s and even into the early 90s everything was big. Big shoulder pads on clothes and big hair.

90s
THIS was the big era of textured hair. It got to the point where hairdressers didn’t need to cut a blunt line any more – there was loads of texture, layering and asymmetric cuts.

People were starting to have looks tailored to their needs – at Saks the consultation became a huge part of a hair appointment, taking into consideration each client’s individual needs. Their face shape, hair texture, skin tone and personality. Cuts were more personalised, free expression.

Colour took over from the perm. Everyone started to experiment more. The great thing with colour is that you can change it every time, whereas with perms
you were stuck with them for longer.

00s
THE thing about the noughties is that the condition of the hair is getting a lot better and shine is the biggest accessory, which comes hand in hand with colour.

Celebrity addiction became a big thing in the early noughties – Jennifer Aniston, for example – everyone wanted to look like celebs and everyone was after designer
looks.

The hair returned to more classic shapes, calmed down from the 90s. Tailored and personalised, bespoke to the individual.

We started wearing looks because they suited us. Fashion conscious, not fashion victim. We also saw the rise of the straighteners – sleek, smooth, straight hair was everywhere.

Geri Halliwell became a huge fan of Saks Straighteners and everyone wanted a pair.

People started to get better at doing their hair at home, and as their skills improved they were more open to other styles because they found it easier to maintain.

Hair was very straight early 90s – lots of straightening products were available on the market.

Hair became more adaptable. People didn’t want just one hairstyle – in the era of accessories they can go out to work with a different look every day. Fashions became flexible, so hair had to follow suit.

Towards the end of this decade shine and condition are still big buzz words – straighteners are still ever popular but more so for creating movement and body and finishing off a style.