80s style

Nov 7 2009 by Liz Lamb, The Journal

THIS season the Eighties are influencing everything from fashion to music. Even the way we wear our hair is inspired by the decade, as LIZ LAMB discovers.

THINK Madonna’s big hair in Desperately Seeking Susan and Kylie’s voluminous curls in her Neighbour days.

Yes, the Eighties are back and the bigger your hair is, the better.

This season it’s time to ditch the straighteners and invest in some curlers as big hair and volume is the style to be seen in.

Crimped hair has also made a comeback and was a strong look on the catwalks at London Fashion Week.

Ramsay & Johnson in Sunderland has produced an Autumn/Winter collection that is heavily influenced by the Eighties.

Director Neville Ramsay says: “Our collection has a very strong Eighties feel.

“The look is starting to come through on the high street now and in hair it’s everywhere. We are going Eighties crazy.”

The salon has seen a surge in customers asking for big hair, a look that is synonymous with the decade that brought us a-ha, Duran Duran, neon clothing, leg warmers and stonewash jeans.

Hair at that time was voluminous and big curls were also a hit.

Neville says: “The girls in the salon laugh at me because I remember it the first-time round. I grew up in the Eighties.

“It really was about big hair and girls now are just used to straightening irons.

“It’s all about volume.

“People are ditching their straighteners and putting volume into their hair.

“You can see it everywhere from Cheryl Cole with her long, curly hair to short hair on Rihanna, which is a very Eighties look.

“The make-up we have used in the shoot is very Eighties as well. It’s very fluorescent and bright.

“Colour on hair is very bold.

“Customers don’t want highlights they want bold colour and for this autumn, colours such as copper, which are always popular at this time of the year, are bolder than ever.

“Big curls are a huge look and so is the bob, but it’s more voluminous.”