“Hair Speaks Volumes”: Guido Palau Reflects on His Legendary Career

My memories are punctuated by hair,” says the British stylist Guido Palau. “The past, jogged by a certain song, a lyric, or just a vague, hazy feeling, comes flooding back in a blur of iconic looks, and I can place the era entirely. Hair has the ability to do that.” To this day, the song “Atomic,” by Blondie, transports Palau to his experimental teenage years. “Oh, your hair is beautiful,” sang the root-blighted Debbie Harry, and everyone believed her.

“Hair, at that time, was such a signifier of who you were,” says Palau, who has worked with everyone from Richard Avedon to Alexander McQueen. “The impact that hair had on me was immense. You’d go to any town, and everyone would have a different look; it was such a big part of British youth culture. I hope to have captured some of that magic in these pictures—young people doing their hair themselves. I wanted the images to feel naive. It’s the naivete that’s exciting.”

To celebrate W’s 50th anniversary, Palau selected the hairstyles that have defined his work over the past five decades. He grew up in 1970s England, a time of cultural revolution. From the lank passivity of hippiedom to punk’s razor-sharp edge, there was much to observe and participate in. “David Bowie had a huge effect on me as a kid, as he did on a lot of creative people,” Palau says. “He was startling, impressive, otherworldly, and I identified with him straightaway. His ambiguity was intriguing. You didn’t really know what he was.”

Was that an entry point of sorts? “I think he was my first real influence, yes—the androgyny, the gay undertones. Back then, you would study every album sleeve, picking up on all the nuances. I didn’t know I wanted to be a hairdresser. I didn’t know what I wanted to be. But even now, 50 years later, Bowie is a constant reference point. He certainly awakened my interest in style.”

Throughout his career, Palau has drawn from that peroxide shock of punk. “It’s funny how, when you’re a teenager, you look at things like that and think they’re outrageous. Of course, today they’re nothing. In the beginning, I wasn’t that cultured. I didn’t think I needed to go and see certain exhibitions. I couldn’t understand how people could look at an abstract painting and turn it into a hairdo. I had to learn along the way.”

Palau’s work is often characterized by a certain roughness. “In Britain, we’ve always had a grittier approach to things,” he says. “Our aesthetic is much more ‘off’ than most. America had a different cultural youthquake, which didn’t really relate to us. They had Marilyn Monroe, while we had people like Diana Dors—working-class beauties who came across as far less polished. Whenever we do anything culturally, it’s always a much brasher take.”

Palau works with scale and texture, in a world where nothing is arbitrary. Models are characters, not wig stands, and he seeks beauty in what others try to conceal. He is drawn to the oblique. “The people I’ve represented in this story have all got a queerness about them,” he says. “Look at the ’90s rave boys—there’s homoeroticism at play there. They’re closer to their male friends than they are to girls—bonded by untechnical haircuts and gel-heavy bangs.”

Although appreciative of nostalgia, Palau remains resolutely forward-thinking. “The street is a huge pool of inspiration,” he says. “Think about how many heads of hair you see going past you every day. The possibilities are endless, and I’m always trying to push the envelope. I certainly see a lot of young people referencing the past—and doing it with bold irreverence. One thing is certain: Hair speaks volumes. It’s the first thing people notice about you. It remains our greatest fixation.”

Makeup by Sam Visser for Dior at Forward Artists. Hair color by Lena Ott for Suite Caroline at Streeters. Casting by Midland Agency. Set design by Mary Howard at MHS Artists.

Models: Cory Alexander at Heroes Model Management; Jared Borek at AMR Agency; Tess Breeden at DNA; Tara Dew at One Management; Eris at Strong Worldwide; Joseph King at Skorpion mgmt; Amber Later at IMG models; Sasha Lewis at the Industry; Owen Ley at Ricky Michiels Agency; Magnolia Neel at Mondays mgmt; Brooke Shields at IMG models; Sergei Solanov at Click Model management; Ireen Tabolova at New York Model management; Thursday at the Society. Produced by Rosco productions; Executive producer: Holly Gore; Producer: Ariella Starkman; Production manager: Halle Lagatta; Photo assistants: Jeremy Hall, Conor Ralph; Digital technician: Kylie Coutts; Fashion assistants: Andy Polanco, Katarina Silva; Production assistants: Lara Miloslavsky, Dash Porter, Max Cantrell, Chuma Osse, Nico Perez; Hair assistants: Sandy Hullett, Simone Mason, Vi Huynh, Diana Rocha, Lauren Berrones, Sheri Pinto, Christopher Nandalall, Mideyah Parker; Makeup assistants: Johnny Coronado, Juan Jaar, Shimu, Shaena Baddour; Set assistants: Montana Pugh, Mattia Minasi, Kylie Baker, Franco Bello; props: hook props; with special thanks to Hook Studio.