VAIN Blog

Today’s Seattle Times NW Weekend section features an article on Belltown spotlighting yours truly, VAIN. With a focus on our art gallery and building’s history (The Vogue, anyone?), the piece also talks up the diversity of VAIN’s hair salon clientele: “Pink hair and piercings are plentiful, but so are pinstripes.”

Check out the whole article, which includes a great picture of VAIN owner + styledriver Victoria Gentry enjoying our current art show of new works by John Atkins.

Hot Hair! is the newest feature on the VAIN Blog. It’ll showcase good-looking, head-turning, how-did-they-do-that and how-do-I-get-mine-to-look-like-that hairstyles, whether done at VAIN, DIY, or as seen around the city.

Our debut Hot Hair! post features a VAIN client who first heard about VAIN when she asked someone in L.A. where they had their hair done. Guess good hair travels well. The rest is VAIN, and now Hot Hair!, history.

Name: Melinda R.
Stylist: Jake (VAIN downtown)
What look are you going for? “If Victoria Beckham was a rock star and not a Spice Girl.”

That’s major.

Well cut + styled, Jake, and well rocked, Melinda R.

Melinda R. will receive a $25 VAIN gift certificate for being featured in our first Hot Hair! post. Maybe one of our hot pink cashmere scarves, studded cuff bracelets, or Nouba metallic shimmer lip glosses to top off the Posh-rock look? Just saying.

Happy almost-Turkey day! The holidays are descending in full force, and I for one cannot wait for the celebrations that the season brings. I’ve got the perfect dress, and thanks to VAIN stylist Jenny Slay, the perfect hair style ideal. This time of year gives us the opportunity to go above and beyond if we so choose. My day to day style tends to be fairly simple - soft, undone waves with a little help from DevaCurl’s Set It Free spray.

Saturday Jenny did a style for a client that was straight out of 1962 - in the best of ways! A head full of curls was set with hairspray and then brushed and teased into the perfect coif. The client looked like a blond Jackie O, well-kempt glamour and all:

While not a look I could pull off daily, I cannot wait for cocktail parties and high heels to match this out of the ordinary hair. Whatever your standard styling is, I hope you get the chance to do something different this winter. And where ever you’re celebrating, with friends or family, eating Tofurkey or the real deal, I hope you have good hair to be thankful for.

-Sarah Jo

Ballard is keeping cozy as winter sets in. Right now I’m sipping a “London Fog” from Miro Tea - whose drinks have become a daily addiction for the staff here. Equally warming is Rachel’s talk with her client who once had Johnny Marr stay at her flat in London!

We’d made many a reference to Steel Magnolias as this space was being built; jokes that a more intimate salon would have us mirroring the chatty southern belles featured in the movie. In truth, there truly has been an interactive community feel since day one. Clients strike up conversations about family and friends, we have group discussions about local restaurants and shopping, and thanks to gifts from our friends at Sonic Boom we never have a shortage of music to talk about.

Right now our boutique is full of accessories to protect you from winter chills and rainy day blahs. Whether it’s giant gold hoops or soft cashmere scarfs, we’re stocked up for the holiday season. Our hats and gloves are the perfect way to stay stylish while staying warm. Our Voluspa candles also make the perfect hostess gift or a treat for yourself to brighten up a grey afternoon.

We hope you’ll stop by and pay us a visit if you haven’t already. If you’d like to schedule an appointment with any of the stylists here at VAIN Ballard, give us a call at 206.706.2707. We’ll get you a cup of tea, hot new hair, and whatever wintery adornments you’re in need of.

-Sarah Jo

Hair report from NYC: a salon on every corner for all hours (pictured: awesome example on the Lower East Side) but surprisingly plain hair all around: pulled back, piled up, natural color, loose and lots of ponytails for the ladies. Go above the East 60s where the bottle blondes rule and it’s a whole other story, but still pretty tame stuff.

I heard a lot of reasons for the good-looking but decidedly un-fussy hair I saw while I was there: call it a trend, salons are too pricey, not enough time, why color my hair when I can buy a pair of boots?, etc. Not that it’s all like that: VAIN knows of a certain NYC hair salon that’s gone gangbusters and is putting out some of the best, creative hair that side of Seattle- Seagull Haircutters, run by none other than former VAIN hairstylist and force of nature Shaun “Surething” Cottle. For the past few years Shaun has been doing an amazing job of infusing his signature skills, vision, and style into every head of hair walking into his West Village salon’s door and the city is lucky to have him.

But for the most part, the fashion-forward looks in New York seemed to be much more about clothes than hair. It made me feel good to come home to all the hot pink dye jobs, razored-out styles and disconnected cuts here in the 206… even if they were on top of fleece and flannel and soaked by a little rain.

-Rebecca P.

VAIN’s DIY + retail specialist Eli Blu goes all out for Halloween and this year was no exception. He rocked not one but two looks- first, a polished black + white getup for VAIN’s annual Batcave Day (the Saturday before Halloween), and then a tuxed-out “Blu-tlejuice” on H’ween proper.

Eli is also a theatrical makeup wiz and put his skills to work on trick-or-treaters… while still in costume.

Anyone else know of a salon in Seattle where you can get your hair cut and then get your makeup done by a zombie? If so let me know.

-Rebecca P.