The Smiths create edgy designs with inspiration from a famous hat maker.
Brian and Sandra Smith have long admired Philip Treacy, an Irish milliner famous for his extravagant, haute-couture hats. Inspired by his designs, the Matrix artistic directors created the Treacy collection, using mediums like screen wire, cardboard and rubber vines to create height in the dramatic hairstyles seen exclusively on these pages. Artistic elements like color, shape, balance, proportion, rhythm, texture and emphasis were vital to the harmony of the styles. —Corie Russell
photography: Roberto Ligresti; makeup: David Maderich; fashion STYLING: Rod Novoa
IMAGE ABOVE: For this look, the Smiths constructed a base with material typically used to construct hats. They next smoothed a hairpiece with Matrix Biolage ExquisiteOil and Total Results Amplify Proforma Hair Spray, and flat-ironed it. Next, they covered and glued the hair to the base of the hat material and wrapped hairpieces around rubber vines. Additional pieces were crocheted and braided. Lastly, the Smiths glued all of the pieces to the base.
IMAGE ABOVE: For this style, Brian and Sandra Smith built the base with screen wire. Next they selected hairpieces in dimensional blonde tones and glued them to the wire before cutting them with a razor for texture. To finish, they added rubber vines covered with hairpieces and hot-glued them to the base.
IMAGE ABOVE: The Smiths created this design by fashioning a base with stiff cardboard, then covering it with hairpieces. To smooth and mold the hair, the pair used Amplify Proforma Hair Spray, ExquisiteOil and a blow-dryer. Next, they teased the hairpieces and randomly placed and glued them to the shape before using small rubber vines covered with hair to complete the look.