At the Battle of the Strands in Las Vegas it was a night filled with nail biting competition, creativity, and glamour as teams competed in the ultimate hair, makeup, fashion and beauty challenge. The theme of the competition was “Legends of Las Vegas” where celebrity stylist Kim Vo served as host and several beauty icons were on hand as judges. Many teams from the United States, Mexico, Panama and Puerto Rico had entered the competition, but only one team would take home the prize. The Clark Russell salon team of Lafayette, CA was one of the teams selected to represent the United States, and the winner of the competition.
Team Clark Russell Salon modeled the “Legends of Las Vegas” theme after Cher, the entertainer who is synonymous with the glitz and glamour of the city. Team members including Clark Russell, Jeffrey Lotspeich, and Jeremiah Broom collaborated to create a modern interpretation of Cher’s iconic 1986 Oscar attire. Although the team didn’t have legendary dress maker Bob Mackie or a huge budget to work with, they did have their imaginations. Lead Hairstylist, Clark Russell started designing a modern approach of Cher's headpiece, by ditching the Mohawk and designed a more organic, tribal and over the top form. Hairstylist Jeffrey Lotspeich created the skirting with $20 of fabric that he had purchased. The top of the dress was hand painted on the model by Makeup Artist Jeremiah Broom using black body paint, glitter body paint and jewels.
Congratulations to the Clark Russell salon team for taking home the Battle of the Strands title! The Battle of the Strands completion was filmed as a TV special and will soon air as a series.