In its capricious way, the fashion world has seemingly become enamored of gray hair. Lady Gaga demos the faux version of the silver-lock trend on Vanity Fair's current cover, while Vogue showcases 90s supermodel Kristen McMenamy (who shaved off her eyebrows in her prime) with hip-length naturally gray hair. "You can get older and still be rock 'n' roll," McMenamy told the magazine. "I thought all that gray hair would make a beautiful picture." Could the trend go mainstream? (Watch a behind-the-scenes video of McMenamy's Vogue shoot)
Three cheers for silver vixens: "We approve," says British fashion magazine Grazia. It's an "arresting" look, a refreshing change from the norm, and seems to be catching on. It could also have the positive side effect of making "silver ladies feel more confident about wearing their hair as nature intended."
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Don't expect men to cheer: Gray hair is one thing on a fashion model, says Harriet Walker in The Independent, but quite another on an ordinary person. A young woman who dyes her hair gray looks "unflattering and incomprehensible" to the opposite gender — "someone to fear or envy," not to pursue sexually.
"The grey area in gender perceptions"
Hedge your bets with a wig: Going gray at home is "near impossible" unless your natural hair color is "nearly white," says Ayren Jackson-Cannady at MTV Style, and a "solid salon visit" to get the wintry look might cost as much as $500. Our advice? "Take the wig route" to sample the look until the next trend (inevitably) rolls around.
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