The Bowtie Memoirs: "Alice in Bumbleland" at Solo Salon

Saturday, February 27, 2010:
The popular West Loop Solo Salon, along with Bumble and bumble, invited us all to become “Alice for an evening” and indulge in the pleasures of a party fit for a Mad Hatter! The “invitation only” event, “Adventures in Bumbleland” took place on February 27, 2010 from 7p.m. – 10p.m. Solo Salon’s cast of stylists, were all dressed as their favorite “Wonderland” characters to reveal the salon’s expanded new space. At the exclusive event, Solo Salon also introduced the new Bumble and bumble “Wear and care” product line. Solo is proud to be one of the first salons in Chicago to unveil these state-of-the-art treatments for dry and damaged hair. The newly boosted and balanced line consists of "Mending", a shampoo and conditioner “for (truly) damaged” hair, as well as "Quenching", a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner “for the (terribly) thirsty” strands. (Even Alice would want to get her hands on these!)

The event also debuted a collaboration with Solo Salon and Bumble and bumble’s Artistic Director, Howard McLaren. The focal point of the evening was a video installation (created using time-lapse photography) that revealed a Bumble and bumble makeover of Alice and the Mad Hatter. This visual piece, conceptualized by Solo Salon’s Creative Director Irene Pipilas and produced and directed by McLaren, is a first-of-its-kind creative partnership between Bumble and bumble and a Bb. Network Salon.

To drive this creative endeavor and expand on their mission, Solo Salon also presented the first of a series of art installations that will evolve each season throughout the year. These multimedia window displays are the brainchild of Irene Pipilas and will be executed by the Solo Salon team, together with Bumble and bumble. The interactive visuals intend to inspire a new flow of thinking about identity. Just like Alice, each and every one of us is on a constant search to either find, or protect, the identity that is so much a part of who we are and how we present ourselves to the world. Solo Salon understands the art of connecting personality to outer appearance, as Pipilas explains: "To create a visual depiction of someone else’s physical identity is a challenging process. The journey into each session of styling is dependent on communication and analysis. We always take into account that people are in a constant physical state of change.”

Kristine Singer: Stylist/Owner/Queen of Hearts!:

...Get on over to Solo Salon and make an appointment with one of their talented stylists before you upset the Red Queen and then it's "OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!"...