Paris Fashion Week is currently wrapping up the end of Fashion Month, but we’ve been as inspired by the street style as the runway. Hair-wise, one shade, Parisian blonde, has emerged as a major crush (and a major movement) among the streets of the French capital.
The relaxed take on blonde is typical of the effortless style we’ve come to expect from the City of Light. And while it would look warm and cosy in autumn, there’s something fresh, pretty and timeless about the colour that makes it perfect for spring.
It’s already a favourite among Parisian It-girls like models Hanna Lhoumeau and Chloe Lecareux and even Brit, Lily James has fallen in love with the dreamy low-key colour.
What is Parisian blonde?
So, what exactly is Parisian blonde? “It’s that real in-between brown and blonde look and it’s an effortless cool-girl shade that I often see on the streets of Paris,” explains celebrity hair stylist, Christian Wood, whose clients include Lily James, Jodie Comer, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Sophie Turner.
“The roots are a bit longer than they ‘should’ be, but the face-framing brightness gives it that fresh, chic look,” he continues, crediting hair colourist John MacPherson for creating some of the most stunning examples (including Lily’s). “It’s that ultimate bronzed-blonde vibe,” Christian notes.
Why choose Parisian blonde?
Parisian blonde is such a versatile shade, it’s perfect for if you’re starting from a darker base (you’d need to ask your colourist to mix in some brighter gold, bronze and blonde tones) or it’s gentler on hair if you want to pare back a platinum blonde and land on a shade that’s a little more low maintenance. The beauty is that, because of the darker root, the grow-out is more flattering and you’re not locked into frequently needing touch-ups.
How to style Parisian blonde?
A relaxed hair colour works perfectly with an equally undone hairstyle. We’ve seen it worn beautifully in natural curls and air-dried waves, but for Lily, Christian explains “we decided to go with an effortless blowout with a slight bend, so the hair felt youthful with a nod to Bardot Bangs.”
“I started on wet hair by applying the Champo Pitta Growth Serum directly on to the roots, section by section, which is the perfect product to use while blow drying to add volume without the usual sticky feeling of thickening products,” Christian says. “I then added the weightless hair oil through the mid-lengths and ends. This helps make the hair shiny and soft while speeding up the blow-drying process massively. I followed-up with a boar bristle round brush and blow dried the hair smooth section by section,” he adds.
“When it came to the fringe, I added a little leave in perfecting cream to the ends and blow dried the whole section forward and secured with no mark clips while it cooled. This helps natural cow licks stay in place all day and achieves a heavier Bardot effect bang,” says Christian. “Next, I added a slight bend with hair straighteners, manoeuvring the hair into an S shape and clamping down. This gives a very subtle bend adding movement to a blowout,” he explains. Finally, to finish “I added a little Davines texture spray to the roots to rough up the style a bit to make it feel lived in, and a quick blast of hairspray on the bangs to keep them in place,” Christian says.