Kate Middleton to Emma Watson: 'Best tressed' hairstyles that work

By Karen Kay

Last updated at 2:13 AM on 28th November 2011

From Mary Portas’s strict bob to the glossy tresses of the Duchess of Cambridge, a signature hairstyle is the most effective way to let the world know what you’re all about

Long and lustrous

From left: The Duchess of Cambridge, Yasmin Le Bon and Stephanie Seymour

When retail guru Mary Portas embarked on a televised challenge to launch her own fashion collection in House of Fraser recently, the flame-haired 51-year-old found herself at odds with the department store’s chief executive John King. He wanted to promote the concession with vast portraits of Mary on billboards and buses. She, on the other hand, was adamant that she didn’t want her face used to advertise her project. Her business partner Peter Cross disagreed: ‘You are building a brand and the most recognisable element of that brand is you. Putting your face on it makes people go, “Oh, it’s that lady with the red hair.”’

As one of the UK’s foremost branding experts, and a wilful soul to boot, Mary got her way. While being spared the ignominy of having her face plastered on the back of buses, she did at least recognise the value of her titian helmet of hair. When her retail space opened to customers at the end of the summer, the clothes were displayed on a parade of mannequins fitted with orange wigs, in tribute to the eponymous ‘Mary’ on their labels.

It is a truth that her hair has become synonymous with her style. And, as Mary’s public profile has grown and her personal brand has become ever more powerful, that signature blunt bob has become increasingly neon-hued and the angles ever sharper. When I first encountered Mary in the early 1990s, at that time the boss of a fledgling PR business, her hair was a duller, shaggier version of its current self. Today she boasts the ultimate statement hair. In fact, the irony for someone who is trying to sell clothes in her own style is that the first thing you notice and the main thing you remember about Mary’s slick look is her razor-cut high-vis mane. It is, quite literally, her crowning glory.

Bobby dazzlers

From left: Mary Portas, Anna Wintour and Mary Quant

‘Mary Portas’s hair is her trademark,’ explains Giles Robinson, a senior stylist at the John Frieda salon in London’s Mayfair. ‘It has as much impact and provides the same instant recognition as a corporate logo for a consumer brand or luxury label. She now has “ownership” of that style, in the same way that [US Vogue editor] Anna Wintour has become intrinsically associated with her particular style of classic bob. In these instances, the person, their status and their hair are so bound together that it would be almost sacrilegious to change. Even though they’re serious players in the fashion world, it almost doesn’t matter what they wear, because it’s the hair that creates their instantly recognisable style.’

Portas and Wintour are not alone in their industry in creating a unique identity that instantly says, ‘I’m above the vagaries of fashion. I have enough confidence in my own sense of style.’

In the words of Gore Vidal, ‘Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.’ Carla and Franca Sozzani, the chic sisters who, respectively, own the influential Milan boutique 10 Corso Como and edit Vogue Italia, have each boasted wavy, mermaid-like blonde hair all their adult lives. Suzy Menkes, the esteemed catwalk commentator, can be picked out on the front row thanks to her trademark ‘cottage loaf’ coiffure, while designer Mary Quant’s Vidal Sassoon bob means she is as recognisable today as she was in her 60s heyday.

Pixie perfect

From left: Emma Watson, Annie Lennox and Judi Dench

A number of models have made their fortune thanks to their trademark tresses: Cindy Crawford, Yasmin Le Bon and Elizabeth Hurley have remained steadfastly loyal to their luscious brunette manes, while Claudia Schiffer, Elle Macpherson, Christie Brinkley, Laura Bailey, Gisele B?ndchen and Lara Stone are loyal to their long blonde locks. Erin O’Connor, the model described by Karl Lagerfeld as ‘one of the best in the world’, bemoans the homogenisation of style, claiming that ‘we have forgotten how to be individuals’. Her famous jet-black bob says as much about her approach to life as any rhetoric ever could.

Your locks are, after all, the ultimate accessory. You can’t leave your hair discarded on the bedroom floor, as you would a dress or boots that weren’t delivering that feel-good factor, so your hair needs to work hard. And given that we’re all feeling the pinch, it makes sense to make your style statement with your hair and avoid the expense of constantly updating your wardrobe.

By creating a signature style, you are providing the foundations of a strong image. ‘How we style our hair, how it’s cut, the care we give it and how we display it, indicate to the world in myriad ways our sexual feelings, aggressions, insecurities, confidence or inhibitions,’ says top trichologist Philip Kingsley. ‘Hair is the single most important part of the anatomy affecting our psyche. We can wear the most fashionable clothes, the most expensive jewellery, our skin can be flawless, but if our hair isn’t right, we don’t feel good. The reverse is also true. We use it to draw attention to ourselves, to attract, to flaunt, to seduce. It can make our day or ruin it, give elation or depression. The joy of good-looking, well-behaved hair gives a psychological boost like no other.’

Eagerly blonde

From left: Jerry Hall, Laura Bailey and Reese Witherspoon

So it makes sense that when you find the style that makes you feel fabulous, you should stick with it. Just look at the Duchess of Cambridge, whose glossy mane has become a symbol of modern royalty. Indeed, she only has to turn to her new grandmother-in-law to note that follicular consistency works in the monarchy: the Queen has paraded the same carefully coiffed locks since her teens, epitomising the solidity of her role and her resistance to anything as whimsical as ‘image’. Whether riding on her Windsor estate, or meeting heads of state at a Buckingham Palace reception, her hairstyle remains constant. The Duchess of Cornwall and Margaret Thatcher have also adopted an almost regal approach to their hairstyling.

 From Dawn French to Judi Dench and Anne Hathaway to Anne Robinson, show business is awash with trademark hairstyles, so public figures don’t lose their sense of self. Think of songstress Jessie J and her guillotine-cut bob, or Kelly Brook and her covetable caramel waves. Mia Farrow’s
pixie cut is legendary, as is Goldie Hawn’s curtain of tousled, sunkissed hair (so much so that daughter Kate Hudson is emulating her). Sienna Miller and Reese Witherspoon have both sported long, blonde locks for as long as they’ve held Equity cards, while Julianne Moore and Christina Hendricks trade on their red hair.

In business, statement hair is a powerful asset. IMF boss Christine Lagarde, with her flash of silver tresses easy to pick out in a sea of grey suits, has been labelled ‘ravissant’ by the French press. Hilary Devey, the latest investor on TV’s Dragons’ Den, has created serious boardroom presence with her poker-straight ultra-glossy black hair, while former newspaper boss Rebekah Brooks was pigeonholed by her untamed pre-raphaelite curls. As the old adage goes, if you make yourself easy to remember, you’ll be hard to forget.

Manes that reign

From left: The Queen, Jackie Kennedy and The Duchess of Cornwall

‘You do need a cut that’s appropriate for your personality and your lifestyle,’ says Giles Robinson, who is responsible for a number of high-profile statement hairstyles. ‘It takes a massive amount of self-confidence to walk into a room with major statement hair. If you’re going for the Mary Portas, or perhaps an Annie Lennox-style peroxide crop, you need to be at ease with the attention that will
bring you. It can be the thing that boosts your self-esteem, giving you a presence that you can’t achieve with clothes, so it’s worth trying to find the perfect style for you. Often, a striking haircut will balance out facial features that aren’t classically beautiful, too, so take advice from your stylist and look at the options to discover what might work. Try on wigs to see what shapes flatter you, and hold colour swatches next to your face to find the shades that work with your complexion.’ Once you’ve found the style, stick with it. It could be the making of you. But, finally, a salutary tale…

Kelly Hoppen is blessed with an amazing head of tumbling curls, but when she started dating hairdresser Nicky Clarke, she succumbed to his blow-dries – and just looked wrong. Thankfully, when the relationship ended, she came to her senses and returned her hair to its trademark corkscrew curls.