Milan Fashion Week took over Italy at the end of September, and Australia’s own esteemed hairdresser Anthony Nader was working with industry legend Guido Palau backstage to define the trends on the runway. Anthony was on Guido’s hair teams for Fendi, Versace and Dolce & Gabbana, and we caught up with him to discover the hero looks, highlights and more all the way from Milan.

What was the overall hair aesthetic at Milan Fashion Week?

I feel a lot of the hero looks out of many of the shows in Milan weren’t over-stylised and coiffed, if you will. Hair texture was kept more underplayed and low-key, which I enjoyed because, as hairdressers, it’s always tricky to find that right happy medium of refining a client or model’s hair without having hair strands look overworked with a tonne of hair product.

The Spring/Summer ‘23 shows really were about embracing your natural texture, so if hair is wavy, then fine-tune strands with a moisture cream and let them have their time. Hair has an innocence this season.

What were the hero looks you created for Milan Fashion Week?

I felt that the hair for the Fendi show related perfectly with our Aussie culture in many ways, especially us Sydney-siders. Hair had a slight and sometimes irregular bend to it, and the finer detail of hair really hugged around the forehead and framed the face. Using a flat iron or fat curling iron just on the mid-lengths was key, and the top was kept flatter but not stuck to the head.

Versace hair always has that strong presence of shine and health, doesn’t it? If models needed a weft or two of extra hair, that was the key to making the girls’ hair look fuller and with a centre part placed in. Some models also had a very tight up-style with a twist on the crown with again a centre part. I really loved this show as it was quite gothic and rock and roll but the Versace way, of course.

With 86 models – but who’s counting? – all girls for Dolce & Gabbana had hair tweaked to some degree to look like that authentic Italian iconic style that the duo designers are known for. I loved that this show bought together every different culture and hair type and hair length on the planet, so to speak, and how you can wear that texture for SS23. Dolce is sensual and strong, which is wonderful.

What hair looks are trending based on Milan Fashion week?

The trend was keeping your hair not as overworked and more undone. Let your hair move, and let it have its time this season. A lot of the shows I saw all had the same vibe. Bottega Veneta, Benetton, Ferragamo and Sportsmax, for example.

What was the experience like of styling Milan Fashion Week?

It’s always fun. In saying this, though, it’s hard work to get a place on the shows with such a brilliant hair genius like Guido. I’ve been fortunate enough to work on his team in previous years. I think that when you work backstage in Milan or Paris, everything is magnified by a thousand. The venues are breath taking, the models are the best in the world and, of course, the fashion designers are the dream. It’s what hairdressers dream of.

Working on shows to me is something I’ve done for at least 20 years, and still, to this day, I get butterflies each time I walk backstage. I’m still learning on every show, and I’ve been hairdressing for 30 years.

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