George Hurrell's Hair Halos

Back in the thirties and forties, when Hollywood wanted to transform its hottest new ingenue into a bona fide star, there was just one man for the job.

Famous Hollywood Beauties With Hair Halos

Of Diffused Light

His name was George Hurrell.  He was a legendary Hollywood lens man who lit famous beauties like Harlow, Garbo and Hayworth from above.

He masterfully focused his lights onto their upturned faces bathing their hair in halos of diffused light.

Using his lighting genius, he transformed Hollywood sex sirens into perfect, alabaster icons which women idolized and men worshiped.

The look he created was pure, unadulterated glamour.

The sex sirens were transformed with their sweeping lame gowns, expanses of creamy skin, and precision-painted lips.

Hair Halos Consisting Of Gleaming Ripples Of

Swept Up Shimmering Waves

The look was topped off by gorgeous hair consisting of gleaming ripples of waves carefully swept off to one side of a perfectly made-up face.

In some cases the super shiny strands were arranged into loose tresses cascading perfectly over one shoulder for an even more dramatic effect.

It was the type of flawless, never-a-strand-astray hairstyle which Vogue backstage-hair honcho (now famous fashion photographer) Luigi Murenu christened as "George Hurrell hair."

Murenu coiffed the gorgeous locks of Supermodel Gisele Bunchen (Brady) in a fashion spread in Vogue Magazine's September 2004 issue, where Hurrell's historic hair halos were featured.

Fall 2004 Hair And Fashion Trends Linked Back To Old Hollywood Hair Halo Glamour

Indeed, the refined femininity which ruled the 2004 Fall fashions called for hair which was equally planned and thought-out.

Hair which was not exactly retro, evokes an age in which "wash and wear" and "bed head" were considered beyond the pale.

When Model Karen Elson floated down the catwalk at Bill Blass her stunning fashions were accessorized with a tumble of glossy. tumbled russet curls.

Marc Jacob's Red Carpet styles consisted of tweedy pencil skirts, flouncy, bow topped blouses reminiscent of subtly sexy secretaries.

Their hair was style in super smooth, well-mannered loose waves which bounced just below their shoulders.

Louis Vuitton's models channeled Highland lasses with full-throttle beauty finished with blood-red lips, flushed cheeks and polished angelic shimmering corkscrews.

Fantasy Hair

"It's fantasy hair"  explained Murenu, who engineered beautiful, gorgeous, rolling waves to complete Natalia Vodianova's silver-screen role.

He also was the man behind Gisele's turn as Victor/Victoria turn in the September 2004 Vogue.  The feature was titled "About a Boy" and began on page 696 of the famed magazine.

Gisele's gorgeous undulating waves were mesmerizing.  When I first looked at them I was convinced it wasn't real hair.  But it was.

Natalia and Gisele's looks were inspired by Hurrell's shimmering hair halos from the thirties and forties.

Murenu explained Gisele's hair looked "so rich, so well crafted.  Totally done."

"Women love it", he explained.

Well of course they did and do.  Who doesn't want to have hair that spectacularly coiffed?

Head-To-Toe Polish

Revered New York hair stylist Garren explained hair's role in the 2004 season's strict mandate of head-to-toe polish.

The celeb stylist explained  "there are three elements to looking finished and truly well dressed:  the right accessories, makeup, and hair."

He noted: "it's time for hair which has shape, movement and bounce."

Garren said "it should look like you've taken your time with your hair, but it should also appear effortless."

He declared:"right now, you need them all, "

Hair Volume And Bounce Styled With Hot Rollers

The return of volume and bounce in 2004 prompted hair stylists to rediscover certain hair styling tools which had been gathering dust in the back of their closets.

Hot rollers were one of those hair tools which became wildly popular again.

The various types of hot rollers were a long-lost relic of the  scrunching and mousse years.

"I know it's shocking" admits Murenu, professing his love for both types of styling tools (rollers and mousse).

"Long hair set with hot rollers gives it instant, professional style-looking volume."

I couldn't agree more since I used to love the look on my own hip length hair, even though I knew it might be causing long term heat damage.

Back then, I just didn't care  because the risks were worth the incredible glossy hair rewards.

Murenu noted in his Vogue comments that how he preferred Kerastase by Kerastase Nutritive Mousse Nutri-Script brushed through dry hair to add amazing "substance" and "texture".

Glamorous Hair Jewelry

Back in 2004, flamboyant and unapologetically over-the-top, hair "jewelry" - as seen at the couture and on the red carpet - suddenly felt absolutely right.

"There's never -been a better time to bring out Grandma's brooch,"  noted Garren.

"There's something so fun and spontaneous about placing a beautiful diamond butterfly in your chignon." He explained.

Indeed, ingenuity,coupled with a certain carelessness about one's multi-carat diamonds, was the hair ornamentation's order of the day.

Hair jewels back then ranged from securing a cardigan jacket closed, to beautifully topping off a stunningly polished topknot.

Clip A Pair Of Diamond Or Jeweled Earrings Into A Gorgeous Top Knot

Famed Manhattan hairstylist Oscar Blandi" explained "anything from a single clip to a pair of earrings (could) become a barrette for loose hair or a pin for a chignon."

He should know.

After all, Blandi famously capped off Jennifer Garner's Oscar-night updo with a pair of $15,000 Fred Leighton diamond earrings from the 1960s.

Even though the stunning earrings weren't officially hair jewelry, as a result of being artfully clipped together, they were instantly transformed into hair art.

Leighton Diamond Hair Comb Into A Tousled Bun

The night Blandi adorned Jennifer Garner's hair with diamond earrings was the same evening Uma Thurman pinned a nineteenth-century Leighton diamond hair comb into her gorgeous tousled bun.

Not to be outdone, Samantha Morton tucked a turquoise-enamel-and-diamond hairpin into her locks.

All of those accessories instantly added an extra touch to a hairstyle which was already so sleek and sophisticated.

For 2005 hair halos were back in trend, shimmering all over town.  Actress Gwyneth Paltrow showcased her blinding shiny hair halo at the 2005 Academy Awards.

The late, great, Mr. Hurrell would certainly have approved.

Speed Ahead To 2021 Post Pandemic - See Glimpses Of 2004 Hair Halos

When it comes to hair trends, styles, fashions and accessories, what goes around comes around.

Even though trends do cycle back again, they always seems a little bit different the next time around.  Such is the case for 2021.

As we move into the second half of 2021 and people are finally starting to slip into a new post-Pandemic normal, glamorous hair trends seem to be emerging.

After more than a year of Do-It-Yourself At-Home Hair, consumers are eager to embrace beautiful, shiny, gorgeous hairstyles.

Hair lengths this year is all about drama which means in-between lengths are being given an amazing glow-up.

Super shiny waves along with explosions of shimmering curls are showing up all over town.  Keep you eye out for mirror-shine blowouts and beachy waves on upcoming Catwalks and Red Carpets.

Best wishes to all.