The swing: The cutting edge in hair

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

This year, a new hair trend has emerged that suits all kinds of people. It is called the "swing" hairstyle, characterized by free movement and texture, with the final result being an air of elegance.

The style is not bound by hair length, but inspired by the beautiful shapes and movements of models sashaying down the catwalk.

The cool thing is, the swing hairstyle provides freedom for each individual to add their own finishing touches by straightening it, coloring it or getting a perm.

The style has become a new trend in major fashion cities like Milan, New York and Tokyo, and recently in large cities across Indonesia.

"The style has spread to Jakarta, Medan and Surabaya," Daniel Amarta, a Jakarta hair and beauty stylist, told The Jakarta Post.

Daniel, who has 19 salons in four cities, said the swing was now hip among urban teenagers and 20-somethings.

Sometimes, he said, the style was also called the "unconjunction style" or the "deconstructive style".

"The swing usually involves a long feathered cut that is easy to manage. All you need to do is to put on some styling spray, hair mousse or crystal wax and arrange it with your fingers," Daniel said.

The result is unique: a slightly disheveled look that fits the image of young people around the world.

For a cutting-edge look, hairstylists might dye a section of hair with a color that contrasts with their customer's natural hair color, such as pink or rust colors for Asian women.

It seems the darlings of the Japanese fashion scene are not afraid to experiment, with some changing their hair color and style as often as three times a year.

The Japanese history of hairstyling provides insight into Japanese culture, showing how "hair affairs" were once also state affairs.

Hair history in Japanese culture dates back to the fourth century when Japanese men wore their hair in the mizura style, parted in the middle and pulled together in loops over the ears.

Meanwhile, the women pulled their hair up into a loose loop resting on top of the head and fastened in the middle. This style is now called shimadamage, after the 18th century style, which it resembles.

Japanese culture later developed other traditional hairstyles both for men and women, sometimes in compliance with the orders of the serving ruler.

For example, during the Sui dynasty from 589 to 618, an order was issued for all courtiers in Japan to wear a formal dress called kammuri. To match the dress, the mizura style was replaced with kanka no ikkei for men and the kokei or hokei style for women.

During the Taisho period (1912-1926), the hair iron was introduced from France and waving of hair became popular. In this period, most young women wore their hair in European styles while middle-aged women tended to favor traditional styles.

Throughout World War II, European styles were prohibited by the Japanese military leaders, but after the war, hairstyles once again were patterned after international trends.

Due to the U.S. military occupation of Japan after World War II, Japanese fashion was heavily influenced by the Americans.

Simplified looks with permanent waves became the trend leaving behind traditional styles, which are now used only for special occasions such as New Year's celebrations, and traditional marriage and cultural festivals.

This year, the swing hairstyle is also hot in Japan, particularly in Tokyo.

In line with this trend, Makarizo Indonesia, a hair treatment and styling manufacturer from Germany, invited Japan's top hairstylist, Seiichi Honda, to demonstrate his finesse on its Salon Tour 2005, which is themed "The Swing Hairstyle".

During the annual tour, Makarizo will hold one "hair show" in Surabaya, Medan and Jakarta respectively, as well as seminars and workshops in 52 cities and towns.

Besides Seiichi, who attended the workshop in Jakarta, Makarizo invited top hairdressers from New York and Milan to hold workshops in Medan and Surabaya.

In Jakarta, the hair show on June 23 at the Jakarta Convention Center was packed with thousands of hairdresser. The event was full with hairstylists with, of course, lots of flashy hairstyles.