How the Hairdresser Behind Lil’ Kim and Mary J. Blige’s Iconic ’90s Look Modified Style Perpetually

Elaborate wigs and extensions in 2023 are a part of practically each participant’s repertoire. These viral magnificence moments occur repeatedly now, however their recognition traces again to hip-hop’s main women. The pattern in direction of extravagant hairstyles owes a lot to the exaggerated statements of Mary J. Blige, Lil’ Kim, and Missy Elliott, who turned a part of rap and R&B’s ’90s icons and daring coiffure mystics. Kim’s iconic magenta wig on the 1999 Video Music Awards, Elliott’s finger waves and MJB’s golden updo have all grow to be a staple of common tradition, and now the girl behind all these seems to be – and numerous others – receives the very best honor. Hairstylist Dionne Alexander’s wigs are an integral a part of the Baltimore Artwork Museum’s T.Tradition: Hip Hop and Up to date Artwork within the twenty first Century exhibition opened at present. Touched by curators to recreate 4 of probably the most memorable creations in his intensive profession, Alexander’s work now sits side-by-side with heirlooms from a few of the style’s most influential artists. “It is a fantastic honor,” he stated on the cellphone from his dwelling in Dallas. “I am grateful for with the ability to affect tradition and share my artwork on this method.”

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Alexander’s curiosity in hair started early; Because the daughter of a beautician, she watched her mom remodel purchasers in her salons in Maryland. “All the pieces got here so naturally,” she says. “I’d go into my mom’s salon and study the hairdressers, they have been all extra ostentatious than the opposite. Being round so many artistic girls, I used to be drawn to the approach to life. A love of artwork was in Alexander’s DNA, however his profession took off after a major journey to Europe. After graduating from highschool, Alexander went to France to mannequin and his finest buddy adopted the outré model of the high fashion catwalks of the interval and the dynamic editorials he noticed within the Italian pages. demand. “This was Nineteen Eighties Paris, so every part was excessive,” he says. “I used to be an artist, however I come from Washington DC, which is extra conservative. [the trip] it was a watch opener. I began to suppose; in another way, I’ve at all times achieved hair reveals and had purchasers, however after I acquired again I knew I wished to work with celebrities.

Alexander had an opportunity to show himself on the set of the 1992 drama. Flying at Evening. Working with rap pioneer MC Lyte, he up to date the star’s look with elegant new kinds, just like the smooth bob within the “Ruffneck” music video. “Lots of people seen the distinction and stated, ‘Who makes Lyte?’ he was asking.” “As soon as they discovered, the artists all began coming to me.” Standing out at a time when feminine artists have been gaining growing prominence inside hip-hop, Alexander witnessed a shift in how musicians wished to current themselves. “You need to do not forget that this was the transition from New Jack Swing to R&B and hip hop, which was an enormous change,” she says. “Girls and their contributions, particularly Mary [J. Blige] got here right here.”

Creating seems to be for the Hip-Hop Soul Queen allowed Alexander to increase his repertoire. Blige, together with her road self-confidence and explosive blonde hair, was an artist’s dream. “With the sudden blast within the ‘I am Not Gonna Cry’ video, Mary is considered one of my all-time favourite seems to be,” says Alexander. “We shot a variety of movies collectively however this one was particular.” Likewise, throughout Blige’s public appearances, they pushed the boundaries with rising updos and vibrant colours. “Everybody wished to be Mary’s hairdresser, however she and I acquired alongside,” she says. “We stayed collectively for a very long time and that began all of it for me.” Alexander credit his tenure at Blige for opening doorways, and on the set of the 1997 “I Can Love You Music Video” he would meet artist Lil Kim, who would grow to be his closest collaborator and muse.

Working with stylist Misa Hylton, make-up artist NZINGHA and Kim, Alexander pushed the boundaries. “The frequent purpose was to make the artist look unimaginable and let our creativity circulation,” she says. “Kim and Misa have been developing with outfit concepts whereas speaking and simply hanging out; Then we would discover methods to match hair and make-up collectively. [overarching] idea.” This meant experimenting with the world of wigs and hair extensions in vibrant colours. Regardless of sourcing from numerous outlets, Alexander didn’t belief the out there components. “The one factor I’d by no means do is take the wig off and put it on somebody,” she says. “I used to be consistently shampooing, styling, slicing, coloring, including components or eradicating them. All the pieces was by some means rebuilt and customised for each look.”

In step with Lil Kim’s exuberant tastes, these daring customizations usually included designer logos, particularly within the Chanel double C wig she wore in her pages. Manhattan Regardless of having one of the recognizable symbols of luxurious, Alexander’s course of of making the piece was fascinatingly DIY. “I used a Sharpie and stencil,” she says. “The wig was blonde and I dyed it two colours, turquoise and a stunning heat brown, then I created the stencil and simply pulled it out. That was 20 years in the past so wigs weren’t as frequent or elaborate as they’re now. But the look stays related, a lot in order that Beyoncé recreated it on Instagram 2017 throughout a Halloween memorial service.

Equally placing was the Versace brand piece that Alexander created for the model’s journey to the 2001 Spring/Summer time 2001 style present in Milan, which turned the discuss of the collections. “After the present, I acquired a name from one other hairdresser who was there and he or she stated, ‘Lady, everyone’s speaking about that wig.’ “Kim was so excited when she first noticed him; She left me this voicemail that I stored for years, telling me how a lot she liked that wig. It was a fantastic second as a result of I did not anticipate such a response.”

Twenty years later and each seems to be have been immortalized. Tradition to exhibit. Alexander took a visit down reminiscence lane by rethinking the kinds and the methods behind them. The enterprise’s greatest problem? He provides old-school provides at his adopted dwelling in Dallas, Texas. “I did not need to reinvent the wheel,” says Alexander. “We now have much more entry to human hair, however wigs like Kim’s 1999 MTV Video Music Awards have been artificial wigs that I stacked and styled. I began engaged on this in December of final 12 months, so constructing and gathering supplies was a chore.”

Onerous work bore fruit. The works within the ultimate exhibition carry the identical air because the originals, making them stand out within the museum atmosphere. The expertise has been heartening for Alexander, who has largely been away from the leisure world since he stepped away from the highlight to give attention to his well being whereas coping with endometritis. “I’ve to thank the creator,” he says. “It was an honor for me and I need those that see the exhibition to be effectively. [as] impressed. We’ve a variety of instruments proper now, however you must be assured and let issues take their course. Twenty years in the past, when engaged on these seems to be, we did not know they’d grow to be iconic, however what we do know is that we’re having enjoyable and letting our abilities shine.”