Wigs by Number with Ted Gibson Beauty for Carmen Marc Valvo

Picture this: it's 8:30 am on Thursday, September 6th, the first day of fashion week and the Ted Gibson team is searching wig stores all over the city to find wigs and wig caps for the Carmen Marc Valvo show the next day.  At 2pm I walked into the salon to check out Ted's new cosmetic line and get a blowout and right into a prime moment the real hair prep before the big show.  The wigs were found and the team was busy.  Think all of the work goes on backstage?  Think again.

Just the day before Ted and Devon Toth, the Director of Education at Ted Gibson, met with the designer and rest of the glam squad to nail down the inspiration behind the look – inspired by street syle, the vibe was techno tribal for his Spring/Summer 2014 collection.

The vibe at the salon was surprisingly cool, calm and collective.  "Our team found real, human hair wigs in dirty blonde that can be dyed and we're dying the tops platinum and the bottoms black,"  Jason Backe explained.

Check out this breakdown:

 2 # of given days to prepare the wigs

8 # of hours it took for Ted's team to find all of the wigs and wig caps in NYC

5 # of hours in the salon it takes to complete one wig

7 # of team members working on the wigs at all times in between clients

25 # of wigs created for the show

3 # of extra wigs made for just in case reasons

22 # of models

My Spring Makeover

If you could change anything about your appearance what would it be?  For me, it was my hair.  After speaking with Ted Gibson about new the new platinum seamless extensions he was carrying I decided to take the plunge and surrender my hair to the man who transformed Kate Gosselin with a weave a few weeks prior.

I was treated like an A-lister and had Jason Backe apply the extensions and Ted do the shaping.  (I thought only Anne Hathaway received that kind of treatment.)  And you wouldn't believe who was sitting in the salon with me... none other than Kate Gosselin herself having her extensions redone.  Most likely preparing for her huge debut on Dancing with the Stars.

I sat in the chair as Jason and Ted consulted and came up with my coloring and decided to give me wavy hair over straight like my natural texture and mix in a lighter shade of brown in the front.  A bit skeptical at first, I knew I was in the hands of two master minds and was going to come out looking like a million dollars and I was right.  All my life I had fine, straight, dark hair and now I have what I'm calling Kardashian hair!

I got Platinum Seamless extensions, which last anywhere from six weeks to three months depending on how well they're taken care of.  They've been out for a long time, but the glue was recently reformulated and just now received met the standards of the Ted Gibson Salon.  They're strips that are about 2" each that simply stick to the root of your hair.  Compared to Great Lengths (like Kate Gosselin's), which are little individual bundles that are bonded to your hair.  A full head of Platinum Seamless costs anywhere from $950-$1,500, whereas a full head of Great Lengths varies from $3,000-$5,000.

Everyone wants what they can't have right?  Well, after speaking with Jason and Ted I realized that thanks to all of the different types of treatments available today, there's no reason you can't have the hair you want.  It's like investing in a quality pair of boots for a season.  Skip the Louboutins and go for Steve Maddens and invest in your hair once in a while.

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