Revolutionary rick-rack texture by Lauren Bell

by Alison Rowley | Aug 9, 2021 | Artist showcase, Events, The Coterie, Video

Swapping brushed-out volume for sleek waves and a slicked-down middle part, Lauren Bell brings a new take on rick-rack texture to the In Session studio

The Look

Inspired by a revival of ‘done’ hair post-lockdown, Lauren’s second look focused on unbrushed rick-rack texture, “using the model’s face shape to guide placement and movement” of the waves.

Lauren Bell with model at The Coterie: In Session

The Inspiration

After many months of not getting ready to go anywhere, the concept behind the look was to celebrate everything that happens before going out OUT. “We’ve not spent time getting ready to go anywhere, so the idea was about taking time to get ready,” Lauren explains. Drawing on the results of a recent editorial with Elle magazine, Lauren wanted the emphasis to be on a “revival of ‘done hair” using the music video to ‘Saturday Night’ by Whigfield as the main reference.

“When creating a look, it’s always a compromise between clothes, model and the hair that’s there.”

Lauren Bell creating a rick-rack curl at The Coterie: In Session

Lauren Bell on stage at The Coterie: In Session with model

Lauren Bell on stage at The Coterie: In Session

The Method

To create the desired rick-rack texture, the key was to prep beforehand. Lauren made her own larger pins out of metal wire, which would later be used in the technique. “You have to think outside of the box to create what you want,” she says.

On the night, Lauren began by spraying the strands with hairspray before separating the hair into large sections ready for rick-racking. Each section was wrapped around the wire in a figure of eight motion before using straighteners to set and letting each section cool. “To not look frizzy, it’s important how you remove the wire. The more your touch, the frizzier it is.”

After removing the wire, Lauren used her fingers to pull apart a few strands, with the aim being to separate but keep the texture. “You could brush out the bottom section for more lift. It depends on the look you want to create —I wanted to focus on definition.”