Zig Zag With

Combed-in zig zagged, long classic mid-length blunt cut on Danielle Carbonneau was "ziggled" to undulate only at the ends. "Zisps" and a "ziggled" fringe had tiny terra cotta-colored pearls here and there to match terra cotta tones coloring the hair. See color version on www.helenoppenheim.com Model: Danielle Pearls Hair: Jerome Pinsonneault, La Coupe Toronto, 1977.

Photo courtesy of

Malcom Baty

The zig zag part on Sandra Rilmand was combed in, hair undulated with "ziggles" throughout and "zisps" flirted on the forehead. The nape was shorter, the sides longer, the last 4" of length were layered to achieve a round effect, a shape we haven't seen for a while. Hair: Jerome Pinsonneault, La Coupe Toronto, 1977.

Photo courtesy of

Larry Nichols

Photo courtesy of

Larry Nichols

HOW TO ZIGGLE: To "ziggle," tiny sections of hair were zig and zagged on pipe cleaners, as sighted on this Close Encounter of another kind T-Shirt I got from Columbia Pictures before the release of the movie. Hair: Jerome Pinsonneault, La Coupe Toronto, 1977.

Photo courtesy of

Larry Nichols

The space-age bride, Sandra Rilmand, had different-sized pearls floating in the hair and here and there, like satellites, there are "zisps" on the forehead and the last 4" of the hair was layered to achieve a round edge. Hair: Jerome Pinsonneault, La Coupe Toronto, 1977.

Photo courtesy of

Larry Nichols

This short sassy look had a zig zag part cut in on Jane Pickering. The hair was asymmetric, not geometric, with volume in a new place for 1977 – on top of the head, at the back. Tiny pieces were left longer to romantically "zisp" on the forehead, on one temple, wherever. Hair: Kim Lépine, La Coupe Montreal/NY 1977.

Photo courtesy of

Larry Nichols

This messy-organized style had a zig zag parting cut in on Heather Goodall. There is a detailed how-to for this on the website, along with a color version. Hair: Charles Booth, La Coupe, Montreal/Toronto/NY 1977.

Photo courtesy of

Larry Nichols

Photo courtesy of

Larry Nichols

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La Coupe's Zig Zag Collection was one of the most successful I ever produced. Zig zag parts gave a quilted effect to the hair, which went with the quilted fashions for Fall 1977.

New ideas evolve slowly. It is always smart to go back to go forwards, to be inspired by hair history, especially at a time when so many hairstyles have looked the same for so long.

As parts and more groomed hair are trending for men, so they will be for women, hopefully in the not too distant future. The overly messy, greasy, just-got-out of-bed or "dirty" looks that so many lead hairdressers have been informing me for far too many seasons are the looks now, will slowly but surely vanish from the runways, from the heads of celebs, and salons. They are looks anyone can do themselves, and are so bad for biz, don't you think?

My blogs are all about ideas, inspiration and information, so come with me on a fun journey. Take this idea of zig zag parts, which can be worn with almost every hairstyle, either combed or cut in. Play with it, modernize it, try it. It is easy. Start your own trend. You don't have to do the same hair everyone is doing and wearing all the time, forever. Be adventurous!

At La Coupe during this period, we had Camelot and a great team of hairdressers who, as Creative as well as PR Director, I drove hard to always come up with new ideas not done before. And they did. We tried to copy no one, with wearable hair ideas. Zig Zag is just one example. Read on, click/take a look, and don't forget to check the website for all the backgrounds and sheer effort that went into this Collection which helped keep La Coupe world-famous at the time.

For the press release to launch the La Coupe Zig Zag collection, I invented new names, a whole new alphabet! The press had fun with all the z's. Here are a few you will need for this blog.

"Ziggles" – newer than curls or frizz, "ziggles" were wave-like movements, tiny or large, which could be iron or permed in "zoftly."

"Zisps" – wisps of hair "ziggled." A cross between a wisp and a zig. They were created using scotch tape, pipe cleaners, or the tiny curling iron upside down.

The Zig Zag Collection hairstyles were created by Jerome Pinsonneault, Kim Lépine, Charles Booth. Perms by Randy Griffin from La Coupe Salons--Montreal, Toronto, New York In 1977.

Makeup by Tuvia. Concept/Art Direction/ Fashion Styling/Produced by Helen Oppenheim. How-to's, full credits, click HERE

http://www.helenoppenheim.com/