living p.c.: lunatic fringe hair salon

check out this post for the details on my pretty outfit.

I had the pleasure of visiting the adorable Dani at Lunatic Fringe in Park City for a trim and a brush up on my hair color last Thursday; as always, she did a fantastic job. I love my pixie (usually), but my super thick + fast growing hair means a lot of upkeep and cuts, and after a year and a half, Dani is the only stylist I've found that I'm interested in going back to (three times, so far). I love her enough to pre-book my next appointment after each visit (now that's commitment).

Prior to this, my last trip to Lunatic Fringe was in early December; in preparation for the slew of holiday parties The Boy and I were slated to attend, I decided to fork over the cash for a salon quality hair color session. Since the few experiences I've had with salon dye have been expensive and lasted just as long as box color, I usually dye my hair myself - but I'd finally plucked up the courage to add some wild highlights to my dark brunette locks and knew that professional help would be necessary.

photos by Dani @ Lunatic Fringe

The purple came out looking amazing, but unfortunately, only lasted about three weeks (the sad truth of fabulous hair colors). The brunette, however, has stayed nearly as dark as the day we dyed it (almost two months ago now), which allowed us to simply brush a purple glaze over the lightened bits on Thursday. They're a tad bluer than last time, but they look great and after a week, seem to be holding better this time around.

On top of her immense shearing talent, all of my appointments with Dani so far have felt more like hanging out with a friend than a business transaction. She's funny, talkative (but not annoyingly so), absolutely adorable and pretty damn entertaining. Most importantly, though, she's genuine - she remembers personal details from visit to visit, and cares just as much about the way I look when I leave as I do (something you don't often get, regardless of a hair cut's price tag). I haven't been to any of the other Lunatic Fringe stylists, but I've always had a good experience at the salon and if Dani were to leave (please don't!), I would have no qualms about visiting one of their other professionals.

TLDR: Next time you're in the market for a hair cut, style or color, try Lunatic Fringe. If you can't make it to Park City to see Dani, they have two other locations in Salt Lake. Check out their website, www.lunaticfringesalon.com, for contact details and more info on the salon. The Park City location is located at 4343 Utah Highway 224 in suite 202; their phone # is 435.658.0298.

Has anyone else been to Lunatic Fringe? Share your thoughts in the comments below.


living p.c.
Living P.C. is a new series of articles focusing on locally owned Park City businesses, including shops, restaurants, salons, spas and more. It will follow my shopping and life excursions as I get used to living in this resort town, and will feature businesses from the entire area (Kimball and Prospector in addition to downtown Park City). Consider it the local's guide to a tourist town. Learn more about it and check out all posts in the series here.

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style guide: how to dress with a pixie cut

lime yellow blouse :: H&M (previously worn here; similar here) | yellow & gray floral skirt :: H&M (dying over this one) | wedges :: charlotte russe | messenger bag :: francesca's collections | floral cuff :: vintage | earrings :: wal-mart | sunglasses :: charlotte russe | pocket watch necklace :: nine via urban wear (similar)

While my affinity for dresses and skirts has always been transparently apparent on the blog, my collection has rather suddenly and exponentially multiplied since my transition to a pixie cut (at least four skirts and three dresses in the first three weeks). The short crop certainly took some getting used to, but now that it's grown a bit (almost two inches - my sister measured my roots) I love the shape, messy look and complete lack of blow drying time. A long list of pros usually evens out with an equally weighted list of cons, however, and the boyish cut has definitely required a major style adjustment to avoid looking boyish. Most of the advice I've found online I've deemed complete rubbish, as it generally seems bent upon preventing me from wearing some of my favorite pieces - enter, therefore, my own list of tips and tricks for dressing with a pixie cut:

how to dress with a pixie cut:

11 tips for your 5 favorite pieces

A. The Collar
Traditional style wisdom dictates that the oxford collar is menswear inspired, and therefore off limits to a woman trying to avoid any hint of masculinity in her appearance. What I have found, however, is that a sharp, crisp collar frames my face and highlights more feminine features.
1-What to look for: Straight lines, crisp angles, clean palettes
2-What to avoid: Floppy, sloppy and dirty

B. The Blazer
Another piece stolen from the boys, the blazer can be a tricky one for a freshly pixie cut gal to navigate. Structured silhouettes with a nipped in waist are a relatively safe bet, while boyfriendy cuts are a bit more difficult - just remember: the looser the blazer, the skinnier the pant. When possible, go cropped.
3-What to look for: Structure, nipped waists, cropped lengths
4-What to avoid: Anything too 80s

C. Oversized/Boyfriend Silhouettes
On the tails of the boyfriend blazer, we tackle oversized silhouettes in general. Like calories in ice cream, anything that conceals the natural shape of your body is going to add points to the boy column when sporting a pixie cut. Achieve balance by belting your waist and/or opting for an extremely well-fitted or feminine opposing piece (like super skinny jeans with an oversize sweater, or your BF's shirt with your favorite mini skirt).
5-What to look for: Interest. Balance. Slightly rumpled perfection.
6-What to avoid: Anything that looks like came off of your brother's floor.

D. Shift Dresses (or any loosely fitting dress)
Shift dresses, once a staple in the closet, may seem like a shapeless enemy to a girl fighting to prove she's a woman. A simple answer? Belt the waist, shorten the length, and wear the skinniest, sexiest stilettos you can find. Let your legs do the talking
7-What to look for: Side panels and shorter lengths
8-What to avoid: Midi length and uninteresting fabrics/patterns/colors

E. Trousers
I've yet to don my favorite tuxedo trousers since chopping off my locks, but I may have finally figured out how to style them with my new pixie do: a perfectly fitted black v-neck tee. As with oversized silhouettes, the key here is striking a balance between highlighting feminine features and sporting androgynous duds.
9-What to look for: A high-waisted fit that gives your feminine figure definition
10-What to avoid: Baggy, ill fitting/too long cuts that look frumpy

But my #1 tip for dressing with a pixie cut?

figure it out your own damn self.

When I lopped off my hair, I Googled myself silly - and nothing I found was particularly useful. Everyone has their own opinions on what looks good with what and on who, so while it's great to get some tips, the best thing you can possibly do is go to the mall/Goodwill/your favorite locally owned boutique and try everything on. And I'm serious - EVERYTHING. Try on things you hate, things you would never wear, cuts and shapes and fabrics and colors that you never thought would flatter you. Try on things that didn't work pre-cut and things you don't think will work post-cut. When Google and the fashion interwebs failed me in my hunt for a pixie style bible, I spent hours at the mall, doing exactly this, and I was wildly surprised by my results.

The bottom line is, different things are going to work for different people. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to style, and the only way to find yours is to go search for it. Not look. Search. So get going already.


P.S. Don't miss my recap of Salt Lake City's Fashion Night Out + photos from #MohawkFriday in yesterday's post.

P.P.S. Be sure to check out this post on the Lucky community!

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fashion tetris & professional denim

cobalt blue blouse :: H&M (love the cut outs on this one) | green denim pencil skirt :: H&M (similar here) | bright pink skinny belt :: H&M | hot pink purse :: nila anthony via lulus.com (similar) | hot pink heels :: bonnebell via lulus.com (similar) | sunglasses :: charlotte russe | earrings :: forever 21 | pocket watch necklace :: nine via urban wear (love this one) | gold chain & ribbon bracelet :: my sister (find more like it @ 2bravegirls)
check out more photos in my previous post, professional heartbreak.

Finally, a promise I'm able to keep - the notes on my brilliantly color blocked ensemble from Wednesday (posted yesterday).

While brightly dubbed and playfully printed skinny jeans may be too casual for most of us to wear to the office, and denim in general is considered taboo for more conservative environments such as law firms and banks, colored and patterned denim in the form of pencil skirts are the perfect compromise for the rest of us. The classic silhouette lends a professional appeal to the laid back fabric, while a bright hue or interesting print pulls attention away from the fact that you're wearing denim. Pair a brilliant color with a button up blouse in a contrasting or complementary shade for a color blocked look, or opt for a mixed print for a more avant guarde version.

At the office, add pumps (nude matches everything, but points for another bright color), ladylike jewelry (think gold chain link bracelets), a fun skinny belt (in a hot hue with a simple shape) and a structured bag (match your shoes and belt to bring everything together); then swap them out for statement sandals, chunky jewelry and a snazzy clutch for evenings out.

tips, tricks & things to avoid

• Keep your hemline short - definitely no longer than the top of your knee. Anything below that risks looking frumpy.
• Look for a slim silhouette; frills and ruffles lend a little girl air that grown women should always avoid.
• Balance the curve hugging form on bottom with a loose blouse on top to avoid appearing too scandalous for the workplace. A chunky heel will also help to even things out.
• Opt for a vibrant hue or playful pattern, not a faded wash, which will detract from the professional air of the pencil shape.

Cobalt blue and kelley green lean towards the darker end of the bright color spectrum, so the trick to maintaining the electrified vibe is in selecting pieces with an underlying vibrance to them. They should radiate their hue, as though it's literally leaking out of them into the surrounding air. Such is the case with these pieces I recently snagged for dirt cheap at H&M - the colors may not be neon, but they are so thoroughly saturated in their respective shades that the colors seem vivid without being too stark against my extremely pale skin. They're perfect when tetris'd together into contrasting colorblocks, particularly when held together with hot pink accessories and chunky sandals.

When originally putting this look together, I worried that the masculine color scheme would make me look somewhat boyish with my new pixie hair cut; fortunately, the curve hugging form of the skirt and feminizing effect of the hot pink accessories seem to have been enough to nullify any boy-like undertones.

Dressing around my new pixie cut has been one of the most challenging prospects of my fashion career, but I think I've finally made peace with my new look - look for photos + how-to tips on achieving my elf-like pixie look later this week.

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