The galas theme this year was PUNK: Chaos to Couture and every credible film, fashion, music and celebrity star was there to grace the resplendent red carpet and truly stand out from the crowd. With literally hundreds of famous faces to mention the fashion frenzy went into total overdrive and amongst the punk inspired angst the most outstanding looks of the night went to actress Anne Hathaway who wore vintage 1920’s Valentino in black sequinned lace teamed with feathered sleeves and mesh panels but overshadowing her outfit was her new platinum blonde hair. Her short cropped hair was slicked into a quiff and along with an edgy smoky eye she looked incredible… Diane Kruger opted for an elaborate magenta-dipped ponytail as she arrived on the red carpet, Nicki Minaj, Alicia Keyes and Zachary Quinto also indulged in the crazy colour hair trend with blonde frizzy curls, red slashes and an indigo mowhawk.

Fellow punk rock princesses were Miley Cirus in Marc Jacobs, Sienna Miller in a white gown by Burberry teamed with a studded leather jacket and headband and Madonna wore a black short bobbed wig an head to toe in Givenchy Haute Couture.

My top fashion marks has to go to the queen of the red carpet Sarah Jessica Parker… she arrived in a Giles Deacon gown slashed to the thigh in a graphic print, wearing a Philip Treacy headpiece and Louis Vuitton boots… her outfit was amazingly elaborate and simply put all the other guests to shame!

With all the incredible fashion on show it truly was a fashionistas red carpet dream and you can take inspiration from all the extravagant offerings by picking the best fashion features for the coming season… oxblood lip colour, smoky eyes, studded accessories and the short cropped hair as worn by Anne Hathaway, Ginnifer Goodwin, January Jones and Maggie Gyllenhall.

So all that is left is for you to rock your Met Ball inspired looks with pride…

Will Eagles

Artistic Director

Updo’s, downdo’s, soft waves, and simple chignons will always be our most asked for creations and the emerging trend for vintage decorations are the perfect new accompaniment to simple necklines and jewellery… and for the bride without long hair short pixie crops, graduated bobs and mid length styles and shapes look equally as stunning…

With our brides pouring in thick and fast for consultations and hair trials I take inspiration from the recent New York Bridal Fashion Week (held every year in April this fashion week showcases the elite bridal designs that will form the bridal collections for years to come). Top designers including Marchesa, Monique Lhuillier and Oscar de la Renta unveiled their spring/summer 2014 collections… The collections featured beautiful gowns in every conceivable style you could imagine. Classic Park Avenue brides in ivory, tulle and bodice encasing lace to punctuated bride with nude bodices and barely there embroidery, deep necklines and v-back’s… my favorite look to grace the bridal runway was instead of veils attached to tiaras or headbands, swathes of gauze flowed from pastel colored parasols and doubled up as wedding trains…

So what ever bridal creation takes your fancy this season, modern day bride, alternative bride, contemporary bride or which designer you take inspiration from Reem Acra or Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen there is only one hair designer to compliment your big day and thats our wedding specialists at cream!

Keep it simple, timeless and elegant and you cant go wrong!

Simply Bridal… just add cream

Will Eagles

Artistic Director

We at cream wowed the audience with our own hair section where we interpreted our version of “talk of the town”… 4 models in gorgeous classic little black dresses, strong iconic make up topped with cutting edge hair styled live on stage by our salon artistic directors… An amazing night was had by all and judging by the applause from the sell out audience it was a sure fire hit…

Saturday saw us set up our pop up salon hub at the Brewery in Cheltenham for “Fashion Rebellion”… a totally different vibe from Fridays glamour this was a showcase of urban street trends with an uber catwalk show from street dancers to runway models. Held in the old habitat building the gritty, awesome space was transformed by a VIP bar lounge courtesy of Dwell furniture and pop up shops with live tattooing and dj sets setting the scene… We were in-undated with people wanting consultations and quick fix hair styles in the hub salon along side the team of 50 strong models needing there hair styling into strong textured aysemmetric buns and crazy edgy urban looks… Again our artistic directors took to the stage with our amazing models and demonstrated avant garde looks but still with creams signature glamourous edge…

An exhausting fashion frenzy that our cream team loved every second of and all of us can’t wait to get F.A.B again next year…

Will Eagles

Artistic Director

Beyoncé has showed off her bikini body in her latest shoot for high-street store, H&M. So if you haven’t booked your summer holiday yet and your prone to jealousy then I suggest you look away as these summer shots are going to make us all want to get off to tropical destinations and escape our delayed spring time…

The Crazy in love singer, who was unveiled as the face (and body) of H&M’s summer collection last month, looks red hot in the new pics – which see Queen B posing in barely-there swimsuits by a pool.

Other images see B relaxing on a beach, while also showing off her stunning figure wearing various bikinis in front of a blue background.

As part of her role fronting the ‘Beyoncé as Mrs. Carter in H&M’ campaign, the star has also recorded new song, Standing on the Sun, which will feature in TV adverts in May.

B previously said: “I’ve always liked H&M’s focus on fun and affordable fashion. I really loved the concept we collaborated on to explore the different emotions of women represented by the four elements – fire, water, earth and wind. “It was a beautiful shoot on a tropical island. It felt more like making a video than a commercial.”

You can get your hands on the range when H&M’s summer collection hits stores and online next month… but an even simpler way of getting a Beyoncè look is to opt for her minimal but full impact diva hair and make-up!!! Think gorgeous bronze toned shimmer for your eyes and cheeks and just a hint of a summer smoky eye… team this with enviable summer beach waved hair (this hair look is always on trend and is so easily achieved) just prep your shampooed hair with Schwarzkopf refresh ‘n shine dry conditioner and twist into random sections and leave to dry… or a runway speedy alternative trick is to loosely plait your hair then clamp in between hair irons to add heat! Leave to cool then undo the plait and shake out for that summer, beach, festival boho vibe…

Just remember if its good enough for Queen B it’s good enough for us…

Will Eagles

Artistic Director

Spring/Summer 2013 will see the sixites trend feature graphic patterns, retro shapes, stripes, circles and squares and the beloved shift dress from iconic influences like Mary Quant, Pierre Cardin and Twiggy and channelled into A-line skirts, and cropped tailored trousers giving us the full mono mood into the high street…

So back to the celeb hair inspiration and look no further than Dani Minnouge, Miley Cirus, Emile Sande and Frankie Sandford who have all demonstrated that short hair can be soft, sexy, super feminine and above all always on-trend!! The best short haircut will flatter your face shape, enhance your cheek bones and add simple stylish shape to any texture hair. Always entrust your stylist into making sure your cut suits your every need and simple tricks by many great variations and whether you opt for side swept and glossy or messy and textured you cant really go wrong… always remember if brave short crops are not for you then you can always leave your hair slightly longer through the front sections or opt for a mid length texturted crop and even short layers with longer lengths will still add the cropped textured vibe to update your current style…

My favourite short hair style crush at the moment is Emile Sande… her vanilla blonde cropped short back and sides with a towering textured quiff always looks incredible and with the option of longer lengths on top it can be worn super textured or soft and swept…

So embrace your mono mod inner 60’s chick and opt for a cool cropped haircut whilst its having a moment!

Will Eagles

Artistic Director

Fashion weeks in New York, London, Milan and Paris were held over 29 days, saw 420 on-schedule shows, and included over 900 models and countless teams of hair, and make-up creating gorgeous trend driven looks! These hair looks ranged from classic styling to some crazy outrageous, editorial creations but I’ve hand picked the 5 best looks for you to embrace:

• Strong Japanese trends and influences saw strong, sleek lines of long super straight hair, center parted and minimal product with strong shine and hold factors. Keep ornamentation to a minimum and simple elastic and leather hair ties look great…
• Power blow drys are the way forward… It’s the first step to hair heaven and its the ultimate scaffolding for big hair creation. Power back to The 90’s and think inspiration from the super models and there bouncy, sexy, super glossy hair. Healthy hair is the key to this look so invest in-salon treatments and put the power back into your hair…
• The Mod trend was seen on every catwalk this season and the 60’s inspired trend is here to stay. 60’s mod with a twist is all about roughed-up, voluminous ponytails, with shattered bee-hives and lots of height at the roots. This look is still soft, feminine and can be as simple as sweeping your parting over and securing with a bobby pin…
• Natural undone waves with a grunge edge has taken over the catwalks and this look is the easiest to re-create. Simple, cool, effortless and natural is the key to this look, and the best way is to let hair dry naturally or tamed with a diffuser after making large twists into wet hair. Again keep products minimal and matt and just keep it real…
• The plait is a perennial catwalk fail safe and anyway you choose to plait, external, internal, fishtail or mussy braids are the summer way forward. Try not to get the look too polished so you keep that free summer vibe and don’t try this look on squeaky clean hair, so either try on day old hair or use the catwalk must have dry shampoo…

So be a trend setter of this season and try one of these five uber on-trend hair looks…

Will Eagles

Artistic Director

He has broken all the rules when it comes to innovative styling and from his heavy stage make up, (who can forget the Ziggy Stardust face stripe), his super skinny jeans to his ever changing hair cuts and colours… the man is a stylist dream and he has paved the way and set countless trends that continue into every fashion season!

One of his many androgynous looks can be tailored to on-trend pieces found on the hight street for spring. Think soft coral tones (huge colour for spring) in a tuxedo suit with cigarette leg pants and worn with a sheer oversized shirt (another huge spring trend) and team with patent wedge shoes and a fur trimmed cape… And of course lets not forget Sir Bowies ever changing crowning glory… his hair has seen every colour, tone, shape and length but again his two iconic looks have been icy white blonde textured crops and soft copper graphic shapes are still hugely in demand in salons across the land!

So be ahead of the spring summer trend and embrace your inner Bowie!!

Will Eagles

Artistic Director

Rita’s style this season is bang on-trend and she fuses every emerging trend into one gorgeous look – so steal her signature style tips and you cant go wrong this spring/summer…

Think platinum blonde – bold, strong, femenin and ionic, platinum ice and silver is the shade to be seen in this spring, so consult with your hairstylist! Always bleach wisely and consider hair condition over anything… Opt for a strong long shaped bob, cut sharp to collar bone length and styled with just the right amount of mussed up textured waves.

Think subtle flawless skin with a strong red lip shade and ditch the thin eyebrows and embrace strong full arched dark brows (sported by Rita and every catwalk model at all the recent shows)!

Think gorgeous spring colours of seafoam green, cobalt blue and pale tangerine, structured pieces of ultra skinny tailored trousers, pencil skirts and oversized graphic print t-shirts teamed with oversized clutch bags and sky high heels for your rocking Rita look!

So with Rita taking the music world by storm and fast becoming a style icon we really are in ore of Ms Ora!

Will Eagles

Artistic Director

Kim who’s famous family of American TV royalty is always being flanked by her beautiful mix of older and younger sisters and literally every style step they take is watched and copied by millions. Kim went for the chop and added a heavy set fringe with soft layers into her dark, thick hair and instantly transformed her look. A simple fringe can really turn heads and its the easiest move you can make to update your spring look. Whether you opt for a heavy eyelash skimming bang, a flirty side swept, an uber textured layered bang or a super short fashion cropped band the look instantly adds a fresh new hair vide and can take years off your age… ( in the fashion world the phrase “ bangs are the new botox” is spreading like wild fire )

It’s not just Kim that went for this fashion forward look her sister Khloe Kardashian also went for bangs and she lightened her long locks to a gorgeous soft caramel hue, which complimented the haircut beautifully, Michelle Obama also opted for bangs recently and her 60’s inspired fringe softened her bland bob and really brought her “bang” on trend…

So if your in much need of a spring overhaul opt for the most flattering of all fringe shapes The Horseshoe- this gets longer around the temples and the shortest area should sit between the middle of the eyebrows. This will suit most face shapes and be the most up to date trans-seasonal look to carry you into summer 2013… so with your new bangs why not be brave and try a deeper colour shade too…think dark blonde caramel, or light chestnut (Brittany Spears has just gone for this shade) and keep this all in check with our new hero product from Schwarzkopf “The New BC Fibre Force”!!!

Fibre Force introduces a new dimension of hair repair returning even the most eroded hair to its optimal level of force and resilience. For the first time the formulas with Micronized Hair-Identical Keratins penetrate deeply into the hair architecture to re-cement and give hair the ultimate softness and shine ever! It truly is a miracle hair range that we are seeing amazing results in the salon from the shampoo, rinse-out conditioner, spray conditioner, fortifier treatment and keratin infusion treatment (in-salon luxury treatment only)!

So re-invent your self with a high fashion bangs and keratin enriched fibre force tresses and really feel that spring is in the HAIR…

Will Eagles

Artistic Director

I was lucky enough to be invited to the Schwarzkopf Essential Looks #13 spring summer launch in Berlin! It’s a showcase of the newest freshest hair trends for the coming year and I was in great company… 2 global ambassadors, 19 leading Schwarzkopf technicians, 3,200 hairdressers in the audience over 90 models a team of technicians, make-up artists and all being live streamed on the web to an audience of 100’000!!!!

The Colour Buzz #13 show got underway and we were treated to 90 minutes of simply the best hair colouring, cutting, styling, emerging fashion, music and choreography I have ever seen!! The colour buzz is a new range of high definition, true to tuft colouring systems that deliver amazing colour tones in the cleanest blondes, richest reds, kaleidoscope coppers & raspberry magenta based purples… each and every tone delivering amazing transparency and supersonic shine. These dazzling colours were teamed with collections from Schwarzkopf essential looks and one simple question was asked what tribe do you belong to?? Mono Mods? White Angles? Electric Youth? or Glam Chic?

Mono mods has a strong 60’s influence with graphic patterns and retro shapes!

White Angles is all about pleats and folds, origami lines and white purity!

Electric Youth is for all the rule breakers, it’s street inspired and has a raw edge!

Glam Chic combines modern tailoring, sophistication and femininity!

So with all these style tribes to aspire too The Essential Looks really did blow us all away with its edgy, raw fashion and I simply can’t wait to deliver these new trends to my clients!

Berlin was the perfect utilitarian background teaming modern classic design with the right amount of funk thrown in for good measure and my time in Berlin was amazing!!

Hope to see you all in the salon soon and you can team colour buzz together with our passion for hair…

Will Eagles

Artistic Director