What happened to “Formal Hair?”

The president’s daughter got married. It was an outdoor wedding. OK, so by definition, it is already less formal. Fine. But she is wearing a dress with a train. That’s formal to me.

Do you think her hair looks formal?

Oh, I hear you talking back to me, “I would totally wear this hair to my wedding. I’m not really a formal girl.” Whatever. It is still your wedding day. It is the most dressed up most women will ever be. And there are pictures. Boy howdy are there pictures, and you will look at them for the rest of your life.

Is messy hair really the image you want to remember forever? And do you really not want to look more special on your wedding day than you do in your everyday life?

There are reasons women get “updos.” One of them is the actual art of the hair dressing. Hair that has been dressed can be both a work of art and a feat of architecture. One big reason is that an up style stays put for hours. It will do a better job of withstanding weather than down hair. And let’s not forget that an up style looks more “finished” than a down style.

There is only one time I think that “half up – half down” makes sense. If your hair is down to your waist, it is logical to not try to put it all up. (Unless you are hoping to look taller!)

For the rest of us, we have icons we can turn to to see what is considered timeless, classic and beautiful.

This is the wedding style by which all others are measured. Just say the name Grace Kelly and people instantly imagine beauty, style and glamour.

Audrey Hepburn is another icon of style and glamour.

“But, Aura, these women were from a different time. I want to look fresh and up to date. ” Fine. Here’s a couple of modern day glamour girls.

Sloppy hair, I am afraid, is a symptom of our casual society. We Americans rarely get dressed up the way our parents or grandparents did. People wear shorts to church and jeans to fancy restaurants.

Don’t get me wrong. I love casual. I wear jeans to work and sweats around town on the weekends. But if I were going to the Oscars, you can be damn sure I would dress up to the nines!

This year’s Oscars were the most casual I remember.

I can’t even begin to guess what the hell Cameron and her hairdresser were thinking. This is an adorable hair style for going to the beach, but an abomination for the Oscars (our American Royal Ball.)

Cate looks like she drove to the Oscars in a convertible and pinned it back on her way down the red carpet. (Maybe she had bobby pins hiding in that necklace.)

People Magazine raved about this hair style. It looks to me like she checked the clock and had five minutes before she had to leave and shoved a clip in the back. Again, it would be adorable anywhere else. It is not formal.

Kristin Chenowith had essentially the same style, but somehow it looks better than Jennifer’s. Must be the jeweled clip.

So, what’s the bottom line here? Are we just so casual a society that we can’t be bothered with getting all dolled up? Is it too much work? I would love to hear your thoughts.

In case you were wondering if I practice what I preach, this is how I wore my hair for my wedding in 2003.

I am the one in the dress.

And if you want a hairdresser to style your hair messy-casual for your wedding, don’t call me.

Click here for an example of short formal hair.