The plumed creatures strutted and preened, their brightly colored and jeweled tufts sparkling under the lights. These were not the peacocks and cockatoos of the Lincoln Park Zoo, though many of the extravagant ‘dos perched atop their heads paid homage to their avian brethren.
No, these were spectacularly decked out models at the Alternative Hair Show “Hair Odyssey — USA 2002” at the Rosemont Theater this past weekend. A glam patrol of creative hair designers, hailing from Germany, Japan, Scotland, England, Canada, Spain, Italy and the USA, had wielded hair gel, spray, curling irons and clippers to produce the fanciful heads, with Chicago fielding a team from Mario Tricoci.
In its fifth year in Chicago, the Alternative Hair Show coincides with the Chicago Midwest Beauty Show, an industry event held nearby. The Alternative Hair Show, sponsored by Cosmetologists Chicago and The Wella Corp., serves as a fundraiser for the Leukemia Research Foundation and Leukaemia Research Fund UK. In the past four years, the event has raised more than $1 million.