Imagining a wild trip to the hairdressers at a 40s salon-slash-bar

What happens when you bring together two super creatives in the form of photographer Alana O’Herlihy and hair stylist Evanie Frausto? A truly magnificent, and, more importantly, fun series of images. Here, the pair introduce Beauty Bar Blow, shot in New York City’s salon-cum-bar The Beauty Bar.

“Evanie is a great collaborator of mine and a dear friend,” explains O’Herlihy. “I have worked with him for a while now and will continue to do so – I truly believe Evanie is the most talented.” For this story, the pair wanted to explore to have as much fun as possible while pushing their creative boundaries. 

“We sat down with one another and started thinking about it sometimes seems as though the client in a barbershop or hair salon the client is at the total whim of the hairstylist,” the photographer explains. “I have seen funny vignettes of people leaving salons in tears, this is because most people see their identity attached to their hair. This gave me the idea to play with the idea of transformations not only visually but also through attitude. I wanted to explore this idea and exaggerate it… of course.” 

Rather than being disappointed with their exaggerated hairstyles – perfectly coiffed by wig wizard Frausto – the models within the story turn it into a celebration. “I want to portray a sort of transmutation internally and externally,” the photographer muses.

Photography Alana O’Herlihy, styling Simon Rasmussen, hair Evanie Frausto using Bumble and bumble, make-up Raisa Flowers using MAC Cosmetics, DOP Forest Erwin, casting Ricky Michiels, Tatiana Williams @ MUSE NYC, Nat D @ Unite-Unite, Rio T @ Next, Sara Vackman, Symone Lu & Hunter Fraser, photography assistant Zara Saraon, styling assistants Sebastian Jean, Hailey Phillips, Laura Simonsen & Coco Campbell, hair assistants Erin Taylor & Ava Mihajevich, make-up assistant Keyanna Morrison, on-set production Dylan Brackpool, production Streeters, post-production Alana O’Herlihy & Zara Saraon