THE UPS, DOWNS, TWISTS AND CURVES OF HAIR STYLES THROUGH THE DECADES

Icome from a long line of hairdressers. My grandfather, James Victor, Sr., owned a series of beauty schools in southern California starting in the 1950s. He wrote several hairstyling books over the next couple of decades.

My father, James Victor, Jr., was a platform artist for Redken in the 1970s and 80s. Not to mention some of my earliest memories come from my mom’s small beauty salon in Wilkie, Sask.

While I didn’t take that career path myself, I’ve become fascinated with this art form – a perfect marriage of practicality, creative expression, and current fashion. some of these iconic hairstyles that defined their era. I’ll reference celebrities that showcased these distinctive looks and had everyone clamouring for their hairdresser to duplicate it.

1940s

Finger waves created sultry looks that almost perfectly capture that old Hollywood glamour. Alongside the finger waves you’ll find victory rolls (think Veronica Lake or Lucille Ball), that were a way to celebrate the end of World War II.

1950s

Heat set hairstyles with rollers created a look that was very coifed – think of the bombshell glamour of Marilyn Monroe. My grandfather wrote a book titled “The Convertible Cut” which featured neatly coifed curls. It was one of many elegant styles of the decade.

1960s

Probably the most iconic image from the 1960s is the beehive, such as Audrey Hepburn’s tiara-wrapped beehive in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The decade itself saw monumental shifts in cultural norms, with the status quo being challenged in a variety of ways. In hairstyling no one embodied it more than Vidal Sassoon who stunned the fashion world with Mary Quant’s angular bob or Mia Farrow’s pixie cut for the film Rosemary’s baby.

1970s

Gone was highly stylized hair. Natural hair was the look. Afros were big. Hair was meant to be touched and it wasn’t supposed to look or feel coifed. The most iconic look of the decade was the easy, breezy feathered looks, probably captured best by Farrah Fawcett.

When Vision Salon owner Wayne Grund started in the industry in 1978, Fawcett’s look was all the rage and the flattering style continues to have fans.

“In every decade there has been a version of these long layers,” says Grund. “In our Surface cutting system this look is called Freedom.”

1980s

Early in the decade, a cropped feathered bob became popular, made most famous by Lady Diana Spencer, later the Princess of Wales.

The decade that brought us shoulder pads and the Walkman, also brought us big hair. Teased and permed hair was everywhere. It’s like we had to get our hair to occupy as much physical space as possible. A good stiff hair spray and a teasing comb were required implements.

1990s

You’d pretty much have to live under a rock not to know about The Rachel. This infamous chunky shag cut was created for Jennifer Aniston’s character Rachel on the 1990s sitcom Friends. It didn’t take long for everyone to visit their hairdresser and ask for a version of it, despite the fact it was difficult to maintain. Meg Ryan’s shorter cropped curls were a lower maintenance option.

2000s

Long straight hair might have been popular in the 1990s, but in the next decade those long locks were allowed to show some curves. Beach waves were on runways and on magazine covers.

It was natural, effortless looking hair – no matter how long it took you to get the look. A great example was model Gisele Bundchen.

TODAY…

Some of those iconic looks were easy to spot, but today? What’s the definitive style of the 2010s? Is there one? It seems hair styles are all over the place – long, short, medium, coifed and tidy, or loose and luscious. Perhaps this is because hair trends seem to shift quickly these days.

“Social media has made fashion instantly global. Past decades saw a yearly theme. Now looks are instantly online and lifestyle driven,” notes Grund.

One of the trends that seems to be fairly dominant is funky hair colour.

“Colour is huge,” says Grund. “Reds are redder, blondes are blonder and brunettes are iconic. While fantasy colour makes the headlines, solid healthy real colour leads the way for the vast majority.”

Hair seems to have become less about duplicating an iconic look and more about blazing a trail for yourself, creating a look that is solely yours, a unique expression of your mood, your creativity or even a personal style statement.

From Pink’s undercut to Mia Farrow’s infamous pixie cut to Marilyn Monroe’s sultry waves, hair styles have changed and even challenged beauty trends over the decades. Whatever is next for hair, it will continue to both shape our culture and be shaped by our culture, and add a measure of beauty to our every day experience.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KATHLEEN VICTOR HOLLINGSWORTH GETTY IMAGES GETTY IMAGES VISIONS SALON VISIONS SALON Hair model Rita Victor shows off a creation by stylist James Victor, Sr., indicative of the sophisticated glamour of 1940s Hollywood. Few things about the 1960s are as indelible as the beehive. Like Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s the look still inspires. The 1970s were marked by touchable natural hair, like these relaxed boho waves. Layered hairstyles, like this one, have remained popular throughout the decades, though few are as iconic as Farrah Fawcett in the late 1970s. The current decade in hair can be summed up in one word – colour. Rich vibrant reds like this undercut will definitely turn heads.