Claudio Lazo's Three Trend Picks: Ponytails, Braids and ChignonsSome fresh spring trend predictions for 2013 from award-winning stylist, Claudio Lazo, Wella Trend Aficionado and owner of C The Salon in Studio City, California.  Lazo encourages stylists to keep an eye on trends and to listen carefully to their clients for signs of style burnout.

"Clients look to you for change--sometimes they want something drastic but usually, they just want subtle shifts," says Lanzo. "The client will give you hints hints that they want a change and if you¹re not receptive to these signs and dismiss their suggestions constantly, no matter how good a stylist you are, the client will leave. This also means you have to stay relevant with current trends.  I am constantly educating myself, always looking to see who  the new designers are, what architecture is taking hold, new fabrics, new colors and shapes being incorporated in the fashion world. All of these things are reflected in our world. Everything transfers over. We¹re just another medium to express the trend."

LAZO'S SPRING TRENDS:

Braids will range from simple, traditional and classic to playful and messy. Lanzo suggests experimenting with a classic braid, making it unruly and wild or glamming it up for special events. Starting off with a simple ponytail you can create multiple individual braids (from 2 to 4 and more if you like) within that and interweave these to create texture. Tousling the braids will instantly give you a chic bohemian look that can easily take you from day to night. For a more ‘styled’ look, Lanzo likes taking a large braid and wrapping it from the base to the crown and instead of “pinning” it, stitching it into place. Easy to use stitching tools will give a secure hold with little to no product and will allow  a myriad of non-traditional snake and zig-zag patterns or Grecian and Roman like crowns. This technique works well with the popular “Fishtail” braid. The same advice goes for Ponytails. From casual to high-fashion, the strategic placement of the ponytails base and the manipulation of the ‘tail’ reshape a look.

With Chignons, the standard tight, clean and precisioned look will give way to a more messy and windblown style in 2013. Starting with the traditional tight bun, simply pull the strands at the base with a comb or with the tips of your fingers, loosening it until you’ve achieved a textured and a wispy silhouette.

 Claudio Lazo's Three Trend Picks: Ponytails, Braids and ChignonsColor will also play a big part in 2013. Stepping away from the general low or highlights, Lanzo predicts clients will be willing to get a bit daring, experimenting with subtle hues of blue, burgundy, pink, violet, purple and pastels.  Nothing over the top, but just enough to give that interesting dash of personal flare. This new trend in color will go hand-in-hand with the Geometric cuts that Claudio foresees coming into play in the New Year.

www.cthesalon.com

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