The Faker: A shorter 'do for a day

August 02, 2009|By Wendy Donahue, Tribune Newspapers

Call it the shorter 'do that doesn't.

Require scissors, that is. Or an expert stylist. Or post-traumatic stress counseling.

Michelle Obama's cropped bob at a recent country music celebration at the White House had citizens buzzing about whether she had chopped her hair.

But her locks dropped back down to her collar in the days after, confirming that her hairstylist had simply performed a little twist and tuck for a night, the way celebrities such as Eva Longoria often do. This, frankly, nearly took The Faker's breath away. A first lady fake? Doesn't get any better than that.

Obama's hairstylist Johnny Wright calls the style a "tuck-up." It's essentially an updo that doesn't look like one, because it tucks under. An "un-do," if you will.

"Bobby pins are a girl's best friend," said New York-based hairstylist Ted Gibson, who has worked with Angelina Jolie, Debra Messing and Gabrielle Union, and just joined TLC's "What Not to Wear" team for new episodes airing Friday nights. "You can take your long hair into something that's really short without the commitment of cutting your hair."

Obama performed a fashion public service once again by rocking a look that not only tracks with trends leading into fall, but also is accessible.

"It's still about a bob shape for fall," said Gibson, who owns salons in New York and Washington, D.C., and is opening one in Ft. Lauderdale. "Fashion dictates hair and hair dictates fashion. Designers are making structured jackets and pencil skirts, not romantic or bohemian in feel. So, it's more about shorter hairstyles."

How to pull off the pinup look for a day? These guidelines work for just about any hairstyle longer than the chin with a couple of variations in technique.

How to pull it off

Start with a good blow-drying product (such as Build It spray from Gibson's line at Target) to create volume from the scalp. Blow-dry hair and flat-iron only the ends (right, top).

Tease hair a bit at the upper back of the head. "The shape is important," Gibson said. "Teasing and back-combing create that volume at the back of the head. It brings a little sex appeal."

Twist and tuck. If your hair is about Obama's length, twist hair at the nape of the neck. Tuck ends under and secure with bobby pins placed invisibly in an X. If your hair is longer than Obama's, twist hair at the nape of the neck and secure the ends into a ponytail elastic. Then tuck hair under and pin it in place. "The ponytail is only at the ends -- it's not a regular ponytail," Gibson said.

For a looser, more tousled look like Longoria's (right), take hair in sections and wind around fingers, then pin the rolls, leaving ends free to stick out a bit. If your hair has a few layers, pulling some of the shorter hairs loose will keep the hair from looking like a bun.

Secure the look with hairspray. "Depending on how skilled you are, you could make it look like a really short bob or a middle-of-the-neck bob," Gibson said. "You can do it with curly hair or straight, bangs or not. The versatility is what's really cool."