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The 2019 Met Gala Celebrating Camp: Notes on Fashion - Arrivals

Source: Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty

Ciara’s MET Gala hair was made up of six individual afro wigs sewn together to construct one epic fro. Hair stylist Cesar DeLeon Ramirez is the mastermind behind the look and gave us details about his process and how you can recreate the look.

“This years theme for Met Gala was camp,” Ramirez explained. Having the green light was all I needed to go OVER OVER board! Ciara and I have been doing a lot of textured hair lately which inspired Peter to draw his inspiration sketch with a beautiful Afro. That reinforce me to keep with the textured movement. Peter and I played off of each other and decided on a dramatic version of a Diana Ross Afro. Once I saw the Dress and head piece I knew I wanted to combine that with an African Princess vibe. Some of my “camp” inspos were Diana, Josephine Backer and Cher.”
Here’s how you can recreate the look in 7 steps:
The 2019 Met Gala Celebrating Camp: Notes On Fashion - Arrivals

Source: John Shearer / Getty

Step 1: Prepare Your Wig Mannequin I Deconstructed the curls of three wigs, while maintaining the tight curls of the other three wigs. The volume of the deconstructed wigs helped to push out the loosened curls of the others. Once attached, the curls interact with each other within the wig for a dimension in texture, maximum volume and drama.

First step is proper pinning. Treat the mannequin like an actual human face to properly line up the hairline. The center line represents the nose, followed outwards by the eyes, and then the ears. This form must serve as a guide so that the wig is constructed to complement the face, ensure symmetrical placement, etc.

Tip: Use a Wildform detangling brush with natural wooden bristles to loosen the curl and add volume. (Line-up of wig care accessories coming soon).

Step 2: Constructing The Wig

Cut out all wig combs and hanger linings. Usually, you would cut the lace of the wig with a zig zag pattern, (for front of hairline) but here with the wigs that are being attached to the other wig, it’s okay to cut straight cause we’re just attaching wigs to one another, which will then be hand sewn together.

Tip: Use nylon thread to sew it’s more durable, nylon will not break. DON’T use a cheap thread!

I then styled the afro at the crown of the head up and away off of her face, so to maintain a pretty shape and not lose Ciara’s face in all of that hair. I used my Wildform wooden brush and my Unite Go 365 hairspray to brush the hair up and away towards the crown, which created additional height without covering the face.

Step 5: Assemble The Afro

Hand sew together lace (for the area around the face) and sewing together the tracks at each wig base. Basically connecting one end to the other to transform 6 wigs into one.

The 2019 Met Gala Celebrating Camp: Notes On Fashion - Arrivals

Source: John Shearer / Getty

Step 6: Volumize

I used Unite hair spray’s ‘3-in-one’ spray for a customizable hold (soft, medium, or strong) We moved the adjustable nozzle up to strong here to securely hold the sewn in pieces in place. Continuously sprayed the hair while standing a few feet away from the unit to avoid build-up while using a pick to create and customize the shape of afro.

Step 7: Final touches.

I used Unite Conundrum paste to define and lay her edges. This product is amazing and so versatile. It’s a wax a paste and styling cream all in one. To finish I sprayed half a can of Unite 7 second Glossing Spray and anti-humectant to prevent reversion but with superb shine.

Tip: When attaching multiple wigs to make one wig. Mock it up first by pinning it together to see the and finalize the shape before sewing it together.

More MET Gala Coverage:

Dapper Dan’s Designs At The Met Gala Make The Ultimate Play On Camp By Representing High Fashion Harlem

Check Out The Best In Met Gala Hair Donned By Black Women Over The Years

Ciara’s Met Gala Hair Was Constructed Of 6 Afro Wigs  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com