free.inspiration.

I have a bit of a hair obsession. I'm not really sure how it all began. I think that it has something to do with the transforming powers of a new haircut or new hair color.To me, getting a new haircut has a thrill of adventure attached to it. The very sentence "I like hair" sounds a bit ridiculous and flippant. But, I don't think it is just a cosmetic obsessions. I think that hair is the same as the clothes we wear or the things we put in our house. You can debate over the actual importance of these things, but they do matter in a aesthetic, inspiring way. So, a few years ago, I was really excited to discover the Hair Stories books put out by Bumble and Bumble.They are put out biannually and they cover various themes combining style and photography along with more technical articles intended for stylists. These books really appreciate the style value of a great haircut and move them beyond the typical hairstyle magazines with bad lighting and photos that are all about the cut and nothing about the inspiration or soul behind the haircut.

In the very first issue,they included an excerpt from Hemingway's The Garden of Eden,used as an example of why a woman cuts her hair short. " No decent girls had ever had their hair cut short like that in this part of the country and even Paris it was rare and strange and could be beautiful or could be very bad. It could mean too much or it could only mean showing the beautiful shape of a head that could never be shown as well."




At first the books were pretty difficult to come by. Of course, you know how motivated I am by scarcity, so it was pretty fun to track them down. They are free and are supposed to be available from Bumble and Bumble salons, but it's a pretty mixed bag whether or not you can find one. Some salons never get them, some reserve them for stylists only.But I have managed to get hold of all of them so far.The newest edition, is all about "The Bob" and also includes a dvd. (The last issue included a dvd as well including a retrospective of their fashion photography). Luckily, Bumble and Bumble is making it much easier to get a copy. Just go here.Request one. You will not be disappointed. As Bumble and Bumble press says, it's free.inspiration.