VAIN Blog

Hair spotted at last weekend’s Sup Pop 20 festival at Marymoor Park, as snapped by Pretty Parlor proprietress and VAIN client Anna Banana. Clearly, you can take the hair out of the city but you can’t take the city out of the hair.

Smokin hot.

Good cut.

To know Whitey is to love Whitey… and his hair.

Miss A. Banana herself. Blonde by VAIN downtown stylist Carly.

To get the lowdown on all the Sup Pop 20 action, visit subpop.com and pretty much any music blog in town. To get great hair, call VAIN.

I finally got to take my long awaited return trip home to San Francisco last week. The weather was absolutely gorgeous- bright and sunny with not a single cloud in sight. I happened to fly in on St. Patrick’s day. One could only imagine how jam packed the streets were with the most interesting characters. One person in particular who caught my eye was the dapper gentleman you see below.

Meet Michael Sandoval:

Michel and I were both waiting at the bus stop in front of Hobson’s Choice Pub on Haight Street. His super stylish (not to mention holiday appropriate) outfit caught my attention, as did his expertly groomed mustache. I stared at him for several minutes before getting the nerves to ask if I could snap his photo. He enthusiastically agreed, while telling me all about how he made both the kilt and leather bag himself. I boarded my #71 bus towards downtown, hoping that I would run into him again.

Then my wish came true. Two days later I was on the E-line heading to Embarcadero station when Michael boarded. This time he wasn’t wearing a hat, instead showing off his impeccably groomed hair with another snazzy outfit. As we both stepped off the train and walked separate ways he jokingly yelled out “I hope these pictures aren’t being taken because I’m a style DON’T.”

Nope Michael, you’re a definite style DO!

♥

-My

(VAIN dowtown front desk + resident shutterbug)

My crimped hair rules and why are you taking my picture?

There are a few things that I’m passionate about in life: great last lines, clams oreganato, naps, semicolon usage, and crimped hair. Don’t judge. So imagine my excitement when, at this past Saturday’s Homemade Brigade event at Freshy’s in West Seattle, I saw a head of crimps across the crowded room. I dropped the screenprinted undies I was holding and headed over; I had to introduce myself to this 21st century pioneer of the Best Hairstyle Ever.

The crimps in question belonged to a Seattle girl named Jhiceli, who says she’s been crimping her hair for over three months. It was awesome: a crimped/flatironed combo look, neither one overdone enough to not still look natural. If you remember the crimped hair domination of the 80s you know that can be tough, but Jhiceli pulled it off and updated it to boot. It was Splash meets the Cha Cha, live on California Ave.

I should mention that crimped hair isn’t a new interest for me. I’ve been pushing it at VAIN for a long time now. I even brought my own crimping iron in (yep, I’ve got one) for general use a few years back. Sadly, there were no takers. But if you were at my 29th birthday party you know that I don’t mind being a lone crimper; sometimes you’ve got to go it alone for something you believe in. And that’s what I saw on Saturday in West Seattle: someone bucking hair trends past and present in favor of a style she just likes. Way to stand out, Jhiceli, and thanks for making this fan of crimping as happy as an Italian-seasoned clam.

-Rebecca P.

Check your local listings for future Homemade Brigade craft + music events in and around West Seattle.

Greetings from Los Angeles, where the sun is shining, the heels are high, and the hair is… Evanescence? Seriously- lots and lots of long, straight, black, lovely hair walking (that’s funny- I mean DRIVING) around L.A. these days. As I type this there isn’t a blonde in sight. But then again, I am at the Roscoe’s House of Chicken n Waffles off Sunset. A lot of big, hungry dudes in here. In any case, I’m raising my plate (Carol C Special, side of Mac) to all the So. Cal brunettes mixing it up down in this sunny city. Lookin good.

-Rebecca P.

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.