Curls are with us - and wild! So are crimps, floppy ringlets and waves. All because Vidal Sassoon permed his short cut into the Greek Goddess style. Hot in pursuit were top-poppers, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton with wild, wild perms. Then the girls latched on - swapping their short cuts for curls. Why are curls so great? They're crazy, gay, the new fun way to look. So who's looking new?
I don't entirely agree with the Jimi Hendrix reference, as Jimi had made his trailblazing London debut on the 24th of September 1966 (almost a year to day before this magazine article went to print) and was already sporting a version of the natural total look! but below are two examples of the Vidal Sassoon hairstyle mentioned in the piece, which he created at the beginning of 1967 (sometime in January by my calculations). Although it was known as the 'Greek Goddess' this name was the second choice for the style, the first being 'Harlem' as it was originally inspired by his many trips through the neighborhood while in New York. He had greatly admired the closely cut but defined curls as worn by the black American community there and was determined to recreate a similar look for Caucasian and Asian hair. However, at this particular point in time, Vidal, recovering from a recent illness, found himself under strict doctor's orders to take it easy, but ever the workaholic he was nonetheless eager to pursue this goal as soon as possible, so enlisting the talents of his salon staff he developed the style along with them in an advisory capacity using two separate models, Jane Johns and Jenny Fussell. The creative team for this endeavor included hairdressers Roger Thompson and Christopher Brooker with technicians Annie Humphries, Clare Hamilton and Allison Benson, they began the process on Friday morning at the Grosvenor Salon and continued working on it relentlessly over the entire weekend, by Sunday they finally made a breakthrough and the revolutionary new style had been created. Photographs were taken immediately, and after a quick phone call to fashion journalist Felicity Green on the monday it was featured in the next day's Daily Mirror, by the following day American Vogue were interested! It's probably difficult to fathom how or why a hairstyle could cause such a sensation but at the time it was groundbreaking on many levels. Further information about the style & Vidal Sassoon can be found via the links at the end of the post.
Jane Johns modelling one of the first Greek Goddess styles, a short tousled look, in which Vidal Sassoon proved that by using his precision cutting technique, hair could then be permed and left to dry naturally without the aid of rollers or pins, this new technique also liberated many women from the routine weekly appointment of having their hair set. Hair styled by Roger Thompson. Photographs by Stephen Bobroff, 1967.
Jenny Fussell also modelling the Greek Goddess style, Hair styled by Christopher Brooker. Photograph by Stephen Bobroff, 1967. Courtesy of Rex Features.
IMAGE CREDITS & LINKS
All illustrated images scanned by Sweet Jane from Intro Issue No.1 23rd September 1967, artist uncredited. Jane Johns modeling 'The Goddess' scanned from Vidal - The Autobiography by Vidal Sassoon. Listen to a BBC Radio interview with Vidal Sassoon from 2010 here. A closer look and further details about the Greek Goddess haircut on the excellent 'Personalities in the revolution of hair design in the 60s 70s ' forum (with contributions from the original Sassoon stylists) here. Watch Bouffants, Beehives and Bobs: The Hairstyles That Shaped Britain here and also When Hairdressers Ruled - a very informative short documentary about some of the people that made Sassoon's the phenomenon it became, from 1963 ~ 1978 here. A dedication to hairdresser Roger Thompson by Gerard Austen here. Harlem street style in the 1970s here. Jimi Hendrix Private Performance at the Marquee Club, March, 1967 here. Jimi Hendrix arrives in London here. and finally, rare movie footage of Jimi with Johnny Hallyday & friends in France (October 1966) here.