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Robert Lobetta: A Fashionista’s Foray Into the World of Hair
 Posted
11/10/2009 3:21:00 PM
When I told my hairdresser friend that I got to see Robert Lobetta at the Eveline Charles Academy last night, she overfoamed with enthusiasm, exclaiming that he’s an inspiration.
Speaking as someone pretty far removed from the industry, I can tell you that her effervescence was present in droves last night from over 100 stylists and students all pleased as punch to be at Lobetta’s speaking engagement.
As the artistic director for the Sebastian line of hair products, Lobetta has a rockstar background, with one of his earliest gigs in his teens in a salon in London that cut everyone’s hair—even the Rolling Stones. He’s done editorial hair work for Italian Vogue, and even work on Ridley Scott movies. So the man knows what works. And the photos he showed of the hair he’s done were pretty outstanding. Lobetta said that he was passionate about treating hair like “it’s a fabric”, and excitement for this idea is well illustrated in his portfolios: insanely complex weaves that look like basket hats, flames, feathers, antlers, etc. The creativity is pretty intense—think runway looks rather than your run-of-the-mill Rachel cut.
Lobetta’s emphasis on avant-garde aesthetics and ideals may come across as a trifle dramatic to an outsider who may protest that it’s “just hairdressing”, but if you look at the work he’s done, you can tell that his intuition is dead sexy and incredibly accurate for achieving really showstopping looks. And I certainly would prefer a hairdresser who is deeply passionate about my hair than one who is just waiting for the next smoke break. And passion for the trade is exactly what he seemed to be trying to instill in the audience members.
One thing that really stood out to me that he said was that a stylist has to be conscious of so much more than just the hair with which he or she is working. It’s about face structure, how the person dresses, and what his or her personality is like. Hair ideally reflects a person’s identity as much as any physical aspect does, and great haircuts are those that suit the person, not the type of hair they have. He spoke about taking risks as fundamental to expressing one’s self, and I think there’s definitely some truth to this. The best fashion isn’t standard skinny jeans and faux-vintage tees—it’s something that shows a measure of authenticity.
So the advice of the day is to find a stylist that understands your style and has an intuition for what will work for you. You may not get the guy that cuts Mick Jagger’s hair, but you should be able to find a hairdresser that makes you feel like a million when you get up out of the chair. And as the crowd last night confirmed, stylists often have excellent fashion sense as well, so allowing a pro that you click with to guide and add to your style is a great opportunity. Seriously, though, last night was the best-dressed crowd I’ve seen in City Centre Mall. . .well, ever.
All in all, I left Lobetta’s speaking engagement with a really positive sense of what his industry is up to—some reinvention from an up-and-coming generation of stylists who are eager to embrace some new ideas in cuts and colours. I’m actually pretty excited to see where hair goes now that the stick-straight/crazy-teased phase is closing down shop. Oh and three cheers to Eveline Charles for bringing some international talent to town! I’m heading to the dreaded T-dot this weekend, so I’ll bring back some winter fashion updates from the eastern front—until then, I bid you adieu and a reflective Remembrance Day tomorrow. Cheers!
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iNews880
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Now I'm disappointed I didn't make it out to see Lobetta. I saw pictures on Facebook of his visit, and I've looked up some of his work online, and it looks fabulous!
Good luck in Toronto - can't wait to see the fashion you bring back!
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Posted By
Brittney Le Blanc
On
11/11/2009 10:23:32 AM
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