Students stretch hairstyle boundaries
By Paula Rath
Advertiser Staff Writer
This is not your tutu's Easter bonnet.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
This is an ode to spring, a celebration inspired by fairies, fire and fantasy as cosmetology students at Honolulu Community College ready their models for Sunday's Spring Hair Fling.
Travis Enriques, front, and Anna Mataafa model hairstyles for this weekend's Spring Hair Fling.
The assignment was simple: "Think outside the box," suggested fashion show coordinator Amos Kotomori.
The solutions are anything but simple. Using funky dyes, strange torture-looking devices that result in springy Shirley Temple curls, hair extensions and, of course, lots of real hair and hair pieces, the students took on the task of creating wild and crazy 'dos. Glue, paste and spray were all allowed, even encouraged.
Explained instructor Kathy Kamakaiwi: "It's a way for them to try something they wouldn't do every day. It lets their imaginations run wild."
The show is also an opportunity for experimentation with tools and products in a manner that frees students from the bounds of practicality and wearability.
The students were given two yards of fabric, elastic and thread with which to dress their models. So a little fashion prowess was added to the hair and makeup mix.
Each class selected a theme:
• Freshmen: Spring fairies.
Noon 1:30 p.m., Sunday Ala Moana Centerstage
• Intermediate: Nature's elements - earth, water, wind and fire.
• Seniors: Fantasy Island.
A total of 14 students worked with 16 models.
Student Kristina Shulsky shaped model Jennifer Vogt's hair around a circular piece of cardboard and curled it upward, creating a "brim" of hair. "To me, spring means flowers and a fairy land where no one ever gets old," she said as she tucked enough flowers for a bouquet around the 'do.
After the show, students and their creations will make an appearance at Sephora, giving away flowers and offering photo opportunities.
