A/W 21 lookbook: two key styles reimagined by Paul Edmonds
Welcome to your official behind the scenes look at our Autumn/Winter lookbook for 2021. Paul and the team have taken two key seasonal looks and given them the Paul Edmonds London treatment. Each look is a fresh take on new colours, cuts, and styles, using the most innovative techniques in hair artistry.
We invite you to step behind the scenes on the recent luxe editorial shoot at our stunning Battersea Powerstation salon, where we brought the looks to life. Keep reading to learn more about Paul's take on A/W 21, how we achieved them, and how to book the look yourself!
Setting the vision for the next season in hair
Anyone can take a box colour or a standard haircut and mimic the look. Our mission was to elevate them to a luxe level, fit for the pages of a glossy magazine!
The ethos at Paul Edmonds London is attentive care and technical excellence, so that's how we approached these two key seasonal looks. We chose a theme of 'transformation' and focused on returning the hair to its natural lustre before lifting it to the next level.
Paul wanted to focus on bringing individuality to each look, tailoring the cut and colour to suit the natural texture and fall of the model's hair. It's all about adding warmth, movement, and vibrancy. Hopefully, you can look at these creations and feel excited to try something new and be confident you'll come away with a look tailored just for you.
Explore our key looks for A/W 21
Eilie: caramel gold blonde hair
Winter is a wonderful time to warm those blonde locks. The first look Paul and the team chose was a variation on one of the season's most on-trend colours, but with a distinctly editorial feel.
"The inspiration for the colour came from looking at this season's caramel gold blonde while getting contrasting blonde tones to give a chic, luxe colour," says Paul.
"Eilie's hair is fine yet dense, so it's inclined to go flat and straight. The colour had been done a few months before but had gone brassy, and the cut lacked definition. The shape lay heavy around her face and was getting straggly on the ends, with the condition being dry and split."
Our stylist Joe started with a gentle colour remover and then refreshed it with gold to give vibrancy. "An ash toning shampoo had caused Eilie's hair to become dull. It had built up on the ends and needed removing before we could add a new colour," says Paul.
After caring for the hair and restoring its condition, the team started the cut using a round layer technique to give volume. Next, they cut through the layers to reduce the weight on the ends and provide movement.
Joe recommended a mixture of highlights, lowlights, balayage, and microlights. He used the darker lowlight to add negative space into the colour. "The result was a richer contrast and a shadowing of the highlights, which made them look brighter and almost glowing."
Joe also used a face-framing technique we call 'the money piece', which brings added brightness to the face and lifts the overall look.
Catherine, our Creative Director, styled Eilie's hair using a large round brush to lift the root. Next, she created soft waves using Shu Uemura Awa Volume mousse and Shu Uemura Tsuki Shape. Catherine finished by smoothing the ends with Shu Uemura Essence Absolue and locked the look in place with Kumo Hold hair spray.
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Shelby: soft mushroom brunette hair
This year, mushroom brunette reigns supreme. It gives brown-haired beauties a wonderfully soft way to lift their shade and enjoy a fresh look for the new season.
"The inspiration came from looking at ways of brightening brown hair without making it blonde," says Paul. "I wanted to move away from the very ash hair of last year to soft mushroom beige blonde hair for autumn-winter."
The team started by shampooing and conditioning with Shu Uemura Color Lustre to help maintain the colour. "We cut Shelby's fine hair using a long, rounded graduation technique. It allowed us to keep weight in the ends while adding soft layering around the face and through the back."
Our colour technician Alex used a mixture of balayage and foilage with a pre-lightener to lift the base shade up to a gold blonde. Then he toned it down to a mushroom beige blonde, so the hair takes on a soft, smoky look.
Paul says: "We lightened the front hairline to create a 'money piece' and heavily coloured the under layers to give flashes of colour when the hair moves, while keeping a darker mushroom brunette overall."
The team used Shu Uemura Netsu Design to protect Shelby's hair from the heat and add longevity to her finished style. We spritzed Shu Uemura Muroto Volume Hydro Texturising mist on the roots to add volume and applied Shu Uemura Tsuki Shape to the mid-lengths and ends to hold the waves. We finished by blow-drying with multi-layers of product and heat protectors. Finally, we used curling tongs to give the soft waves in the finished look.
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Book the looks
Feeling inspired? Here's how our team can help you achieve your own, unique version of the two seasonal looks we've put together here.
Cut and finish
Paul and the team took a unique approach with both our models, working with the qualities of their natural hair and face shape to craft looks that suited them perfectly. When you visit us, you'll get the same runway treatment! Our philosophy of attentive care means we take the time to really listen to your creative vision before using our skills and artistry to help you achieve it.
Explore cut and finish options
Do you covet the luxe finished styles created by Paul and the team for this shoot? Why not treat yourself to a blow-dry appointment, and we can recreate a bespoke version for you. We'll tailor the products to suit your hair type so the results last longer and look better.
Colour services
Are you ready to find your own unique blend of caramel gold blonde or mushroom hair colour? Our experienced colour specialists will tailor the look to your hair and natural colouring, so it works perfectly for you. Choose from all the services listed in this lookbook and more, including vegan and organic colour options and complementary treatments like Glaze and Gloss.
Are you a new colour client at Paul Edmonds? We'll ask you to come into the salon for a 30-minute consultation and sensitivity test before we book you in for your chosen colour appointment.
We're looking forward to helping you achieve your own luxe Autumn/Winter hair transformation. Book your appointment today or get in touch with our team.