Modern Day Hairy Tale

Theatricality is the ideal word for the month of October. The month culminates with Halloween, giving anyone the opportunity to dress as various characters and creatures. But this year, you don't have to wait until Oct. 31. An annual Tulsa event is introducing such a theme this year.

Ihloff Salon and Spa hosts its 12th annual runway fashion event, and this year's hair show and fashion runway features theatrics from a specific category: "Fables, Fantasy and Fairy Tales: Once Upon a Time."

In addition to being a Tulsa staple salon and spa for the past 29 years, Ihloff Salon and Spa regularly gives back to the community.

As one of the salon's main events, this year's dramatically themed runway event and hair show takes place on Thursday, Oct. 22 at the Tulsa Convention Center's Assembly Hall. The event kicks off with a retail runway at 6pm, and the hair show, with its elaborate storybook theme, begins at 7pm.

As the event incorporates every year, there will be 30 everyday women used as models. The models are assembled from corporations and organizations around Tulsa, which sponsor a woman from their organizations.

The runway also features women benefiting from Resonance Center for Women, the organization for which the event raises money. All the women receive a makeover from Ihloff, including hairstyle, hair color and makeup application, as well as the ability to showcase their walk down the runway.

This year's retail runway features some of Tulsa's retailers and artisans. In addition to showcasing their wears, merchandise will also be sold. The retail runway includes looks from L'Colette, Luxe Couture, Dwelling Spaces, Moxie Shoes, All Access and Nancy Hammill.

After the retail runway, the night's main event begins. The Ihloff team said this year's theme already has people buzzing.

The fables and fairy tales theme provides a lot of creativity to the stylists. Models will be transformed into everything from fairies, princesses and royalty to the Tin Man and even animals. Cruncleton said you can expect to see an interpretation of a human swan. And of course, no fabled hair show would be complete without the obvious lady of the hour: Rapunzel.

Cruncleton said the looks will not be the typical fairy tale creations, and the looks won't necessarily be what you'd expect from the word "princess."

While previous years' themes have been presented in specific sections (for instance last year's rock 'n roll theme featured a '60s rock 'n roll hair section, a '70s section, and so on), this year will take a turn from the regular story books.

When the Three Little Pigs make their way to the runway, don't expect to see them with the Big Bad Wolf. They might be walking down the runway with the Queen of Hearts instead.

Cruncleton said the story presented on stage will follow Luna, a lonely girl who lives in a cottage deep in the forest. One day she falls in love with the Man in the Moon. Along the way to her happily ever after, she meets a wide, wild cast of characters.

Cruncleton said a total of some 60 models, both women and men, make his or her way down the runway between 7pm and 9pm. Most will be styled to fit the night's theme, but at the end of the event, stylists go wild with their own looks for the finale. And, as the event has done in previous years, the runway hair will be styled on stage.

Cruncleton said watching the looks take shape is just as interesting for those not in the industry as it is for stylists. And the entertainment doesn't end there. Stilt walkers and trapeze artists will also be flanking the main event.

But it's not easy planning a charitable event in 2009. Last year's event brought out 1,200 people. To keep the numbers growing in a difficult benefit year, Lissonnet took a new approach to spreading the word about this year's runway and hair show by taking it to social networking.

Hitting up Twitter and Facebook, she feels this year's event will bring out a larger and more eclectic crowd than ever before. One such social marketing technique pitted one current and one former Urban Tulsa Weekly writer against the other in a battle for a makeover.

Twitter followers and Facebook friends had the chance to pick their princess, determining if Holly Wall or Natasha Ball was "the fairest of them all." People submitted their donations to Resonance in the name of their chosen princess from Oct. 1-15. The winner, determined by whoever pulls in the most donations, will be announced at the show. Not only will Holly or Natasha win the so-called crown (and an Ihloff makeover), she will be one of the models strutting down this year's catwalk.

As with previous years, the night's festivities are supporting Resonance Center for Women. This long-standing Tulsa organization has provided "services leading to self-sufficiency for women and families experiencing challenging, change or adversity in their lives." The organization's services include intervention, prevention and support "for women with families involved with the justice system, with the ultimate goal of breaking the cycle of multi-generational chemical addiction and criminal offense."

Marilyn Ihloff, President and Founder of Ihloff Salon and Spa noted just how valuable this organization is to Tulsa. "For more than a decade, the state of Oklahoma has incarcerated more women per capita than any other state in the nation," she said. Supporting Ihloff's event in turn supports an organization that works to take our state from the top of that nasty list.

To purchase tickets to the 2009 Ihloff Creative Team Fall Collection: "Fables, Fantasy and Fairy Tales: Once Upon a Time," you can visit either Ihloff locations at 1876 Utica Square or 8343 S. Memorial Dr. Salon hours are Monday, Friday and Saturday 8:30am to 5:30pm and Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 8:30am to 9pm. The Utica location is also open Sunday 12pm to 6pm.

Tickets are $15 in advance, but they can also be purchased at the door for $20. For more information about this event or other Ihloff Salon and Spa services (including additional contributions to the community) visit HYPERLINK "http://www.ihloffspa.com"; www.ihloffspa.com. To find out more about the benefit of the night, Resonance Center for Women, visit HYPERLINK "http://www.resonancetulsa.org"; www.resonancetulsa.org.