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Monday November 9, 2009

Talented hairstylists let their imagination run wild at annual hair show

By KEE HUA CHEE

HAIR shows are fantastic excuse to churn up coiffure that exist on stage and not meant for normal life and the recent Malaysian Hairdressing Association (MHA) soiree lived up to expectations.

Divided into Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, the hairstylists proved anyone could live out their hairy fantasies.

The Rhino: A dedication to a special animal.

Themed "A Night of Fiesta", no one can accuse MHA of not pulling out the stops in spraying together a fusion of hair, fashion, music and an overload of fantasy.

Presented over four shows, the collection featured the imagination of hairstylists from 18 salons.

Nearly a thousand thronged the event, including 850 guests and over a hundred models plus assistants and hangers-on as every head required helping hands.

Flushed with fur, feathers, fluff and fripperies, each was a sight to behold.

Some were veritable vegetable patches while others were mini- botanical gardens.

The highest hair was the metre-long pagoda that loomed atop a cheongsam-clad damsel while another gravity-defying resembled a Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Among the more spectacular was the Mohawk with a long tail. Some held picture frames so you know they were masterpieces while one head carried a basket filled with avians. None was surprised it was called Bird's Nest. Another was named Rhino for similar reasons. Speaking of bird brains, the White Peacock was more hat than hair since it contained so little of the latter, real or otherwise.

Funky, punky women: Only for those who dare.

The widest and wildest appeared to be a lichen covered and moss riddled tree upon which a snake was coiling on one of its branches.

Hair Malaysia 2009, MHA's national hair competition, had the theme Animal Kingdom which explained the proliferation of fauna and avians.

The top prize went to Ckay Liow Chee Keen who won RM1,500 followed by Jeremy Yap (RM1,000) and Pang Yong Chang (RM500).

Ckay Liow, from Limkokwing Hair Design Academy & Salon, created a zebra on the head of model Abby from Botswana.

"On one side is the zebra stripes while the other has flower motifs to represent the jungle though zebras live in the plains," said Ckay Liow.

"For extra glam rock, I added feathers and crystals."

The Hairdresser Lifetime Achievement Award went to Philip Sum from Ipoh, Perak, who owns three salons.

The Hairdresser Talent winners were Richard Lee, Dickson Poon and Jeff Tham.

MHA donated RM5,000 to Pertubuhan Kanak-kanak Cacat of Ipoh from the proceedings.