Game recognize game. Olivia Rodrigo personally called Garbage front woman, Shirley Manson, to invite her to play at the “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love” singer’s inaugural Daisy Chain Fields Music Festival. When it came time to perform, Manson, a titan of rock and an icon of Gen X beauty and fashion, was expectedly ferocious, belting through hit after hit with her signature panache.
The festival has already raised more than 20 million dollars for non-profit organizations supporting women, girls and reproductive rights —a total triumph for progressive activism. No less thrilling, Manson’s look, a sort of punk-inspired armor styled by Candice Lambert McAndrews and hair by celebrity and editorial hairstylist Meg Schipani with its own explicitly political statement. We get into that with Schipani below.
We first asked Schipani, who is a frequent Manson collaborator, her favorite Garbage song. She tells The Tease, “That’s a hard choice, but probably ‘Special’ or ‘Sisyphus.‘”
Of the hair itself, Schipani shares that “it kind of evolved the longer we spent on it. Originally it was going to just be a French braid into a slick back ponytail. Knowing that it was going to be extremely hot and humid, we decided to braid it all back to keep it from frizzing up.” She explains, “I really wanted it to be more of a whimsical look that went hand-in-hand with the spirit of the Daisy Chains Festival, but also stayed true to Shirley’s style, so I had a secret plan to accessorize it with chains and spikes. We ended up skipping the spikes, but the chains added an extra element of detail and took it up a notch.”
If you look at photos and footage from Daisy Chain Fields, you’ll note that the braid wasn’t the only thing going on. Schipani explains, “Shirley is and always has been a fierce voice for those who need it and if you look closely, you can see that the ponytail that I used to braid Shirley‘s hair with is colored with the Palestinian flag colors.” If you’re curious, the brand was Good Dye Young. “[Manson] has been a relentless advocate and has been wearing this ponytail quite often over the last few months as a reminder that they are still suffering deeply. Incorporating these little details allowed me to be a bit more adventurous with the look while still keeping it true to her aesthetic.”
Read on for a detailed breakdown of Manson’s pony directly from Schipani, including techniques and products used.
Get the Look:
- “To start this look, I sectioned a 3-inch section from hairline to crown and braided it underhand straight back and secured it with an elastic.
- Once the braid was complete, I started to slick back the remaining hair into a ponytail at the crown of the head, right where the braid ended. Making sure the slick back was bump-free and smooth was the biggest priority so I used Cécred Strong Hold Hair Gel and a boar bristle brush to smooth back the hair and tame the flyaways. Having a secure grip on the ponytail at all times is really helpful and using a hair bungee to secure can help avoid bumps as well.
- Once the ponytail was secure, I installed her ponytail extension and braided it into her ponytail. I used göt2b glued Blasting Freeze Spray to secure the style and lay down any bumps or stray hairs.
- After all of this was done, I wrapped the chains around the base of her braid, and then one chain throughout the braid itself.”
Know a client who’d be into channeling this rock legend’s latest look? Tag @readthetease on Instagram and TikTok when you recreate it. And if you’re inclined to donate to Daisy Chain Fields’ partner organizations directly or purchase merch, which also benefits them, visit daisychainfields.com.
