A cut above the rest

To see what the next big thing in fashion will be, one really need only watch awards ceremonies, be they the Oscars or the Golden Globes, to catch the movie stars that grace them.

This year, those who watched closely may have noticed that several of the stars, such as Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Renee Zellweger and even Dakota Fanning, the child star of Hide and Seek, had dyed their golden locks black.

For Western women, dyeing one's hair black is certainly one way to get heads turning. According to Chen Pei-yu (陳珮瑜) of L'Oreal, awards ceremonies are without a doubt one of the best ways to get a glimpse of what will be happening over the next year in fashion. But although she predicts dyed-black, or at the very least darker hair is going to be "in," this will not happen for another six months or so. After all, you have to let the movie stars have their fun first.

And while black is always a good choice, it tends to find more favor in the West, where "going oriental," with all the mystery that it brings with it, has been quite the thing for a few years now. Of course, it is a different story for Asian women, for whom black and dark hair is pretty much the norm. They need something a little extra to make themselves stand out in a crowd.

In terms of hair color, this spring and summer we will see some inspiration from places such as Latin America and Morocco. Central and South American women have naturally wavy hair in reddish brown to auburn hues. It brings to mind Penelope Cruz, who wears her wavy hair down, giving off a very natural and easy-going image.

Therefore, colder colors such as blues, blondes and ash blondes, which are far from the natural hair color of Asian women, will definitely be out.

So, which colors are going to be in? Many people are placing their money on browns, tinted with warm tones such as caramel reds, with perhaps a few streaks of gold to set it all off, worn down to give them their best, most natural effect. The tones will be much warmer than in previous seasons.

According to Chuang Chi-yao (莊琦瑤) of Eugene Perma, more vibrant, high-contrast colors, such as red, orange and yellow, will be replacing the cooler tones that have dominated recently.

Good hair is, of course, not just as simple as choosing which color to use, so hair stylists are becoming more and more like cosmetic artists: part of the skill is in knowing where to add a little bit more color, and exactly how the dye is applied. The most important thing is to complement the more feminine hair styles that will be fashionable this year.

In line with the trend toward greater vibrancy and warmer tones, L'Oreal Professionnel have brought together combinations of sunset orange and rich twilight purples. According to Chen of L'Oreal, these colors will be subtly used to highlight the reds and yellows of the season, creating dynamic effects.

Chen added that this year is likely to see changes to the way tints and highlights are applied. The regimented way that tints have generally been applied are definitely out, and Chen said that stylists are now looking to tint specific areas to create greater variety and dynamism.

So even as Western movie stars seem to be opting for the mysticism of the East, Taiwanese women are showing that they are well and truly tired of glossy black locks and are looking for bolder styles and colors.