3 Celebrity Hairstylists Reveal How They Will Navigate a Virtual Awards Season

09/11/2020

There’s no sugarcoating it: this year’s lineup of star-studded award shows is going to look very different. As the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards showed us, these award ceremonies will be a virtual affair, most likely with pre-recorded performances, pre-taped interviews, and a reimagined red carpet. But, one thing that won’t change? (Hopefully!) The unforgettable hair moments.

Even amid all of the coronavirus chaos, Hollywood’s top hairstylists and groomers are still determined to bring some much-needed glamour. With the Emmys only days away, many are already hard at work to get their celebrity clients red carpet ready for TV’s biggest night. In the lead-up to the show, The Tease reached out to three celebrity hairstylists and groomers to hear about how they are navigating a virtual awards season and what their red carpet predictions are for this year.

Celebrity Hairstylist Owen Gould

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His celebrity clients: Kristen Dunst, Sienna Miller, Rachel Brosnahan, Helena Christensen, Karlie Kloss, and Carolyn Murphy

The Tease: How are you feeling about having to prepare for a virtual awards season this year?

Owen Gould: I’m excited to see how this year’s virtual award season will go. This will be the first time many of us have ever tackled something like this.

In what ways will having virtual award shows this year make your job of getting your celebrity clients ready for the red carpet both easier and harder?

Owen: I think the hard part will be the fact that we’ll be creating a look that you won’t be able to appreciate from all angles. What’s great about seeing your work on the red carpet is how it moves with the subject. I’ll be curious to see how viewers will be able to see the entire look from behind their computer screens. One of the obvious things that will be easier about this year is that we won’t be flying across the country to get our clients ready. But honestly, that’s part of the fun.

How soon do you typically start prepping for award season and has that changed due to COVID?

Owen: Typically prepping for an awards show can take anywhere from a few weeks before to just a few days leading up to the show. I imagine this year it may not take as long to prep but I’ll just have to wait and see.

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How will you be prioritizing cleanliness (even more than you already do for your job) during the getting ready process?

Owen: As we all adapt to this new normal, I will of course be wearing PPE while working on all my clients as well as sanitizing each piece of equipment before and after each use.

This year the Emmy dress code is not its standard black tie. The informal theme is “come as you are, but make an effort”. Will this more open-ended dress code impact your hair styling decisions for your celebrity clients?

Owen: I think it will ultimately depend on the client. I can see some people taking advantage of this more laid back approach but just because it won’t be in person this year doesn’t mean we can’t add a little glamour. I think the views will enjoy a bit of effort.

Are there any hairstyles or hair trends that you anticipate we will be seeing a lot of this awards season?

Owen: I imagine we will be seeing a lot of “effortless glamour” this year. Hair that’s polished but has movement. At the end of the day though I really can’t say. I’ll be watching along with everyone else to see how it all looks in the end.

Celebrity Groomer Christine Nelli

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Her celebrity clients: Justin Timberlake, The Weeknd, Sam Rockwell, Tom Holland, Jon Hamm, Taylor Kitsch, Armie Hammer, Gerard Butler, Billy Eichner, Wilmer Valderrama, and Aziz Ansari

The Tease: How are you feeling about having to prepare for a virtual awards season this year?

Christine Nelli: For me, it’s weird because everyone usually watches awards season for the red carpet. Everyone wants to see what people are wearing and what the hair and makeup will look like.

In what ways will having virtual award shows this year make your job of getting your celebrity clients ready for the red carpet both easier and harder?

Christine: I think in some ways it will be easier because we’re not as rushed to go anywhere since a lot of people are going to be video calling from home. It will be very relaxed but also harder in some ways. People won’t be able to see our work as much as they used to when it would be all over the Internet.

What changes are you anticipating that you are going to have to make this year with the getting ready process?

Christine: I will definitely have to sanitize everything way more. Also, I will have to do a lot of single-use options for people, especially if I have to go to multiple people’s houses. But, honestly I think that this year is not going to be as hectic as it normally is, meaning that I’m not going to be doing five people like I would normally do. You have to think about the fact that there is not going to be any parties. Normally you would have two or even three days leading up to an award show where there’s always parties that people are getting ready for.

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How much time do you typically have to get a client ready and do you see that changing?

Christine: I feel like it used to be really short. I remember that I used to have 30 to 45 minute increments because you’re sharing your time —  like even guys get nail artists to give them manicures too. So you’re sharing your time with a nail person and stylist and then the client is having to get ready too. I think now we’re going to have more time because your client is not having to go anywhere. There is no time crunch.

This year the Emmy dress code is not its standard black tie. The informal theme is “come as you are, but make an effort”. Will this more open-ended dress code impact your grooming decisions for your celebrity clients?

Christine: Yeah, it will be more relaxed. Normally, I would do a more polished look whereas now, I think it will be more of like a relaxed look — not just slicked back but more tousled and bed head-y.

Are there any male hairstyles or grooming trends that you anticipate we will be seeing a lot of this awards season?

Christine: I think longer hair and beards. Also, I think a lot of people are going to change up their style because they now have a lot of time to grow out their hair. Right now, a lot of the people that I work with can try out different styles because they’re not filming or they don’t have to go back to work.

Celebrity Hairstylist Takisha Sturdivant-Drew

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Her celebrity clients: Kerry Washington, Mindy Kaling, Naturi Naughton, Gabrielle Union, Uzo Aduba, Yvonne Orji, and LaLa Anthony

The Tease: How are you feeling about having to prepare for a virtual awards season this year? 

Takisha Sturdivant-Drew: It feels very awkward, different, and a little disappointing, to be honest. But, you know things change so you have to change with it. All you can do is your very best. It’s of course weird because it’s not like people are going to be together so how real is it actually going to be. To me, it’s really going to be about the glam, styling, hair and of course, if they win.

How soon do you typically start prepping for award season and has that changed due to COVID?

Takisha: Normally, I start prepping the weekend that I’m there because I have to wait until my client really knows what they’re wearing. Until I see the clothes, I don’t start. So, it’s normally maybe two or three days before — sometimes even a day before. It all depends on the clothes that they are wearing.

In what ways will having virtual award shows this year make your job of getting your celebrity clients ready for the red carpet both easier and harder?

Takisha: Well, people think it’s easy to communicate virtually through the computer but for some people it’s hard because they’re so used to me being hands-on on some things. You know, we’ll talk about a hairstyle and they’ll be like, “Oh yeah! I can do that,” meaning that the client can do it. But, then when it comes time to doing it, they’re like, “Oh, wait a minute. I can’t do that.” So, if it’s a simple hairstyle, I think it’s really easy but if it’s something a little bit more difficult than I think that it can be tricky. Sometimes it’s also hard because you might think something is going to look good but once they do it, it’s like – no, we’ve got to change it. Look, so far it’s been good for me. I’ve done a lot of virtual press. I did my first virtual cover which was with Town & Country. I actually created a wig for Kerry Washington that I shipped out to LA and it was great. That was honestly not a problem but it can be tricky otherwise, so we’ll see.

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What changes are you anticipating having to make this year with the getting ready process?

Takisha: I think just basically having to show clients things step-by-step. It’s going to be different because I’m just so used to getting on a plane and being everywhere. Now, I’m in New York. Just the distance of it and being here will be different. We’ll see how it goes because they might be more comfortable with a person that is in LA. But, I mean I don’t personally feel comfortable getting on a plane like that yet. I have kids. I don’t want to make any of my clients sick let alone, I don’t want to get sick. So, I think it’s best to just protect each other all around.

This year the Emmy dress code is not its standard black tie. The informal theme is “come as you are, but make an effort”. Will this more open-ended dress code impact your hair styling decisions for your celebrity clients?

Takisha: I think it leaves more room for people to be even more creative. So, if they want to go with a ‘fro with some crazy ponytail or something twisted or just some crazy color then I think it’s great. I mean most of them are probably going to be sitting on their couch anyway – just dressed up for the moment and then, undressed later. I think it will be good.

Recently, Zendaya spoke up about how she still plans to dress up for the Emmys. Do you think that celebrities will still serve full looks despite being at home?

Takisha: I think everybody is going to do a full look with their outfit. I mean, with Zendaya, Law [Roach] styles her. He’s amazing and he’s going to take it to a whole other level even if she’s just standing there in her house. I think people are going to really go all out for it and then they’re just going to take their gowns off later.

Are there any hairstyles or hair trends that you anticipate we will be seeing a lot of this awards season?

Takisha: I think that we’re going to see a lot of these new African hairstyles – like updos, loop braids and twists, and these very creative, sculptural looks. Definitely, a lot of natural hair. I think we’re going to see a lot of different hair parts with ponytails. And, I mean we can ever go wrong with a simple middle parted bob. That will never go out of style. It’s classic and will be beautiful on anyone.

What are your thoughts on this year’s virtual awards season? Let us know in the comments!

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Camille Nzengung

Camille Nzengung is a Features Editor at The Tease, where she covers all things hair. You can find her writing about the best hair products, the coolest hair trends, and all the exciting new hair launches. Send her a pitch: cnzengung@thetease.com.

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