Wednesday 15 February 2012

THE TREFUSIS UP-DO

Esquire party Nov 2008, hair by Graham Tilley at Tilley & Montgomery



The Trefusis hair is, I guess, the apogee of up-do's - it took the lovely and very skilled Graham more than two hours to do (he's a virgoan perfectionist, what can I say) and it was so securely pinned I couldn't face taking it down after the party, so I slept with it like that, and went to work with extremely grand hair.

Anyway, much as I wish I had Trefusis hair everyday, possibly all as a clip-on-able hair-piece, like Joan Collins, I don't. If my hair is up, it's most likely because I've skewered it with a pencil, which is effective if inelegant. With a pencil, I seem to be able to achieve a MadMen kind of pleat, in a way I never can if left to my own devices with a can of Elnett and half a dozen kirby grips. But, you know, like shaking cocktails in an old Dolmio jar, the pencil-skewered up-do always felt a bit like I was letting the side down. Quite by chance, however, when in Boots buying a hairbrush, I stumbled upon a kind of thatching hook device (two colours, gold for blondes, dark brown for brunettes, redheads you're on your own) by a company called Goody. It costs about a fiver and does everything a pencil can do with infinitely greater elegance- it's also invisible once you've stuck it in your hair. If you have hair that's long enough to twist into a French pleat, all you need is this single pin - truly it is a product of pure genius.
Goody Simple Styles Modern Up-do pin






Goody Simple Styles Spin Pin


Up-do confidence spurred by the effortlessness of the hook thingy, I made another foray into Boots and discovered the hair screws above - all you do is twist your hair into a chignon (very on-trend this S/S '12), and screw the screws into it - two pins are all you need for a completely secure chignon. I've also used these do do a French pleat and one of those bouffy backcombed top knots that everyone seems to be wearing - they work best when you're creating quite a tight bun, but again, pure genius and not a pencil nor a trillion bendy hair pins in sight.


It's not Graham's Trefusis hair, but for an everyday up-do, it's pretty blooming brilliant.


Goody Simple Styles available in Boots stores or online at Amazon
Graham the hair God, available at Tilley and Carmichael, 5 Silver Place, London W1 Tel, 0207 287 7677







9 comments:

K.Line said...

Awesome hair!

Anonymous said...

I remember that hair - truly marvellous! And I shall purchase said Goody forthwith. Gratefully yours Ax

Mimi Pompom said...

I do love a good up-do. And that is definitely a good up-do!

sharon santoni at my french country home said...

Just found you via Une Femme d'un Certain Age and have spent half an hour giggling through your backposts - love it, thank you!
You're now up on my blogroll (for all that may be worth!) and just for the record I often put my hair up with a pencil!
Sharon

Alison Cross said...

That up-do is fantastic. In my head you are like this EVERY DAY. Do not disavow me of this notion :-)

I must check out these contraptions as I end up wearing my hair up/back most days.

Well spotted, Mrs T!!!

Ali x

Rose said...

Oh I've always wondered where you had the Up do! It's so pretty- the pin recommendation is very useful but I really want is the real thing!

Babycakes said...

So elegant and you have the bone structure to carry it off.

Ann said...

I just had to say hello. I have recently discovered your blog and in reading the archives found myself laughing hysterically. Wonderfully written, I'm going to have to share it with friends. Thank you!

CatherineMarie said...

Thank you ever so much for posting this. I'm in community theater, and we're doing a production of Ivanov. Hair is my nemesis, particularly for this show, I saw this post, rushed right out to Target, grabbed the hair doohickeys, and was able to put my hair up for the show!