It seems the latest trend in hair adornments has an avian bent, as evidenced by the feather extensions sported by women of all ages. The feathers can be found in a wide array of colors - from simple and natural shades of brown to bright purples, greens, yellows, and reds.
Feather extensions are not really new, and like many style trends, can be traced back to earlier eras. In fact, adorning one's head with feathers harkens as far back as ancient Egypt and as recently as the hippie era of the 60s and 70s.
We've all seen paintings of Queen Marie Antoinette with brightly colored plumes in her upswept hair, as well as pictures of hippies dressed in bell bottoms and platforms, their long hair accentuated by feathers.
So the fact that feather extensions are making a comeback should really come as no surprise. According to Lynda Best, owner of the Village Cut and Curl, 212 Cherry St., the salon began offering feather extensions about two months ago in response to frequent requests from clientele.
In the first week or two, she and her staff were doing four or five feather extensions each day. Asked how she learned how to apply the feathers, Best laughed and said, "YouTube. You'd be amazed what you can learn on there."
But she learned quickly that her supply houses didn't carry the feathers, so she began ordering them online. She offers both real and synthetic feathers. The real ones are the tail feathers of a certain kind of rooster, and vary in colors from the natural browns and grays to the "grizzlies" that resemble a hound's tooth pattern. There are brightly colored synthetics and various sizes and shapes of feathers.
Best says she gets requests from clients of all ages - from young girls to women in their 70s. The younger girls and women often choose a combination of bright colors, while the older women tend toward colors that can be seen but are more likely to blend into their hair color.
On a recent day, Best advised Brittany Sommers, 15, a BHS sophomore, to choose two or three feathers for her long, curly hairstyle. Sommers chose a turquoise and black stripe, a red and black stripe, and bright green fluffy feather, which Best and a co-worker quickly attached to her hair with a silicone bead clamp.
Best advised Sommers on how to protect the feathers when washing, drying and/or curling her hair, then handed her a curling iron to experiment with styling the feathers. Most, she says, can be curled or flat-ironed. The feathers can stay in place for three or four months, but if they loosen or move as the hair grows, Best can tighten them or move them up.
When the wearer tires of the feathers or wants to exchange them for other colors, they are easily removed by loosening the bead clamp.
