Hair is in transition when you’re growing from a short style to a longer look, or when you’re growing out the dyed portion to showcase your natural colour. I’m doing both this year, so it’s at the forefront of my mind. 

Some people transition their hair more easily than others, which I guess depends on a couple of factors. For example, hubs Greg has thick, dark, luscious, voluminous, curly hair that has been greying for decades. It went from slightly salty to silver fox slowly in THE most beautiful and natural way. Over the decades he’s had super short cuts to longer wavy styles, and the grow-outs and colour change have been effortless and seamless. As long as he had the right product to tame his air-dried mop of hair as it transitioned, it simply curled and ombréd in the most delightful way. Sometimes neat, and sometimes wild, but it always looked good.

I have different hair to Greg. It is fine, light, flat, a bit wavy, and not greying at all. This year, I’m growing it out from a super short platinum blonde pixie to a bixie, or a short bob of sorts. To grow out slow-growing hair from a pixie is tedious, and it will be Christmas before I reach my hair goals. It doesn’t curl into a fab style the way Greg’s does, nor does the bleached blonde look healthy as it grows out.

I’m determined to stick with my plan, because I want a change and a little more hair to play with. My transitional hair requires more effort to look fab than Greg’s does because of the nature of my hair, and my need to create a polished appearance. I’ve found that doing three things have helped me manage my transitional hair more effectively. As a result I’m enjoying the in-between stages instead of feeling like cutting it all off again.

1. Adjust The Colour

I added low lights that match the exact colour of my natural darker blonde hair so that I wouldn’t see the ‘grow-out line’ of the bleached platinum. Now my hair is my natural colour, and I won’t need to colour it again until I’ve reached the desired length. If I want to adjust the colour after I have the length because I don’t like my natural colour, I can do that too. My longer hair looks healthy and feels good when I run my hands through it.

2. Get Regular Trims

Pandemic permitting, I’m continuing with regular six to eight week trims so that the back looks neat. As the top and sides grow, they’re trimmed to the same end point to create a style with some shape. Although the shaping is subtle because the point is to GROW my hair, it goes a long way to making me feel like I have a neat and tidy ‘do.

3. Be Creative With Styling

I do what I can to make these in-between stages look modern and presentable. I’ll blow-dry, straighten, use a curling iron, towel-dry with product, tuck hair behind my ears, brush it back, brush it forward, scrunch, tousle, and add a barrette to create a more styled look. I’m at the hardest in-between stages for the next few months. But that will pass, and by the Summer I’ll have more hair that is easier to style. My hair looks like this after four months of managed growth.

Over the years, we’ve seen lots of forum members grow out their hair and/or colour with stellar and inspiring results. Some people managed their transitional hair similarly to me, while others managed things similarly to Greg. Care to share your own transitional hair story?

Garments that have been permanently splattered with paint as a deliberate feature of the pattern fall under this trend. Paint-splattered denim springs to mind right away. In some cases a pattern is knitted into a sweater to resemble a paint-splatter effect. And in other cases the pattern was screen-printed onto knitted or woven fabric much like any other design is screen-printed.

Items are fairly neutral. The paint-splatter design is usually one or two colours, and seldom multi-coloured. The paint-splattered effect can be subtle or dramatic, and has a casual integrity. You’ll find it on all sorts of wardrobe items across a range of price points. The trend has been around for a while. It’s very fringe, and likely to remain that way. It takes me back to the ‘80s, especially when it’s in bright and neon colours. This time round the paint-splatter trend is more subtle.

Here are some examples.

I am neutral about this trend, and neither love it nor loathe it. I prefer the more subtle versions.

In fact, I ordered this workwear shirt from G-Star and hadn’t noticed the paint splatters on the denim until I saw it in person. I thought they were part of the stonewashed effect. The big white studs and high collar launched me into orbit, and the sleeves are very unique. It has a modern ‘60s and ‘70s vibe to it, and the gentle architectural fit is perfect. It’s beautifully made, and sustainably too. I put it on and fell in love, paint splatters and all. It’s fab with my collection of white jeans, orange pants, red pants, and can work with a couple of skirts too.

Over to you. What do you think of the paint-splatter trend?

A recent discussion about button-fly waists has led to a poll. You are on Team Structure if you prefer to wear bottoms with a zipper and/or button-fly waist. You are on Team Pull-On if you prefer pants that pull on with stretch or elastic. If you prefer bottoms with half-elastic waists, you bat for both teams.

The only pull-on pants I have are pyjama pants and leggings. I wear the pyjama pants year round for lounging, and the leggings for yoga and physical therapy. The rest of my jeans, trousers, and shorts have a zipper or button-fly waist. I prefer the structure and bat for Team Structure, although none of my bottoms are tight and body-con.

Over to you, Do you bat for Team Structure or Team Pull-On Pants? Tell us why, and remember that you can bat for both teams if you like a half-elastic waist.

An inclusion rider for the fashion industry, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s latest fashion exhibition, and more style stories that made headlines in February.

• Affordable skincare brand The Ordinary is branching out into hair care with a line of products that are all under $13.
• The Guardian reports that the party dress is back.
• Nordstrom has been upping its activewear game, and is including a good amount of plus-size options.
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced its latest fashion exhibition. “In America: An Anthology of Fashion will look at the genesis of American style, focusing on the 19th century to the latter part of the 20th century.”
• According to Refinery29, the ‘butterfly haircut’ is quickly becoming one of 2022’s top hair styles.
• Earlier this month, Smythe opened its first-ever boutique in Toronto.
• Fashion magazine InStyle is going fully digital, the April issue will be its last print edition.
• The fashion industry is getting its own inclusion rider “to encourage and facilitate more diverse hiring practices at every level of a production.”

Fun Fashion Quote

I was nodding along with what writer Caroline Donofrio says here about beauty:

“If there’s anything time has taught me, it’s that the true essence of beauty is less about aesthetics and more about kindness. That sounds like something printed on an overpriced yoga T-shirt, but in this specific instance, I’m talking about kindness to yourself. Early this past summer, I woke up one morning to discover my dominant hand was numb. I couldn’t hold a pen or pump a soap dispenser or type for more than a few minutes at a time. (Needless to say, working an eyelash curler or hairdryer was out of the question.) It persisted for a day, a week, a month, eight weeks. But that experience forced me to reevaluate my priorities — what was absolutely necessary? What did I have to say no to? Where did I need to ask for help? In a way, it was the best gift. It reaffirmed that my value isn’t based on exterior things — neither my appearance nor my output — which seems to be a lesson many of us are learning.”