[TREND WATCH] Kate’s New Hairdo Is The New ‘Rachel’

Thousands have been asking for it in London — in Singapore, you can get the look for as little as $70
By James P. Ong

THE latest buzz in the hair industry overseas, we hear, is the Kate Moss haircut: long, shaggy locks and long, healthy bangs. The hair, which seriously reminds us of Farah Fawcett in the 1970s, covers up almost half of the supermodel’s face, yet still manages to highlight her beautiful eyes. (That’s the big difference between Kate and us, unfortunately.)

Even United Kingdom’s The Independent has reported on how thousands of women in London have been asking hair stylists for the cut that’s already been dubbed “the new Rachel” — in reference to the hairdo popularised by Jennifer Aniston in the TV sitcom Friends.

“Kate needed to freshen up her look and move with the times, so its great to see her change her hairstyle,” says Roy Sng when we shared with him the news. Roy is a senior style director at TONI&GUY Hairdressing, the London-established hair salon, at The Heeren.

Thing is, we’ve already seen the same style many times before: on the pages of Vogue, the fashion runways from two years back, Anne Hathaway in Devil Wears Prada, and even among Singaporean ladies trawling the streets of Clarke Quay — so we really wonder why it’s taken this long for the rest of the world to catch on.

Perhaps it does take a Kate Moss to make things trendy?

(Incidentally, the makeover happened just days before James Brown, Kate’s hairstylist since she was 15 years old, was to launch a hair product line under Boots Pharmaceuticals.)

But does the Kate Moss ‘do fit all types of Asian hair? Not rebonded hair, warns Dila Rasiti, TONI&GUY Academy’s Technical Director. She adds that anyone with naturally straight Asian hair could achieve this natural movement effect with a digital perm to create wonderful soft curls.

The Kate Moss cut is a classic style for longer hair. However, the strong fringe is quite high maintenance and requires regular fringe trims (which TONI&GUY Hairdressing provides for free to regular clients).

“Always seek the advice of a professional stylist when thinking about a new style, as they should understand your natural hair movement and growth patterns and make the best of what you have,” warns Sng, who can give you the Kate Moss cut for at least $70. “Our Toni&Guy philosphy is that a fantastic cut should be personalised towards a clients hair texture, face shape and lifestyle!"