Topknot Perfection: Styled by Fekkai, Modelled by Eva Chen

Editor, writer, and avid social media star Eva Chen rolled into Milk Studios on a sunny LA morning toting a colourful explosion of clothing, one mirrored by her “mermaid” hair. Chen’s stylist suggested she experiment with colour instead of shaving the bottom half of her head (her original request). “I’ve had colour like this in my hair for about a year. It’s been solid before: purple, blue, pink, and my favourite was emerald green.”

“When I moved to LA five months ago, I started wearing tropical prints and white jeans--a revelation to me!” says the native New Yorker.

Chen showed up with freshly washed, naturally dried hair, a clean slate for Fekkai’s Senior Stylist Eric Sebbag who immediately worked Fekkai’s Full Volume Mousse ($23) into Chen’s roots. “We’re just adding mousse at the roots to add volume and texture,” he says, before blowdrying her crown with his fingers.

For one last burst of volume, Sebbag had Chen flip her hair upside down before pulling it into a ponytail. “Your hair colour is perfect for this,” he told the editor. Sebbag used a bungee to secure the ponytail before coating the ends with Fekkai’s Glossing Cream ($25). “It’s full of little capsules of olive oil that are released to add shine,” he says.

“The great thing about Fekkai products is that you can use them on any type of hair, to achieve any kind of style,” Sebbag says.

Sebbag carefully wrapped and pinned the hair into a secure knot to show off as much colour as possible. After spraying it with a generous amount of Fekkai’s Sheer Hold Hairspray ($24), he pulled out a few pieces of hair to rough up the texture of the bun, while combing the back of her hair upwards to eliminate any flyaways.

When building an updo, one can never have too much Fekkai Sheer Hold Hairspray ($24)!

Chen may embrace mayhem in her wardrobe, but she keeps it subtle jewellery-wise. “When it comes to clothing I tend to pile it on, mixing a lot of prints and bold colours, so my accessories are a little more subdued,” she says. “I have three bracelets I never take off and when it comes to earrings, I wear really small pieces.”

Check out our behind-the-scenes video featuring Fekkai Senior Stylist Eric Sebbag giving 4th and Bleeker’s Alexandra Spencer beachy waves and beauty expert Eva Chen a perfectly mussed top-knot!

Editor-at-Large

Since starting as an intern back in 2013, Nicole Akhtarzad Eshaghpour has held several roles here at Who What Wear, and she is currently Editor-at-Large. It was a less expected route, seeing as she was graduating from business school at USC when this all began, but it has turned out to be the best one for her. Fast-forward to 2020, and she's moved to NYC from her hometown of Beverly Hills and spends her workdays a little differently from when she was an intern starting out. Currently, she focuses on a weekly mélange of shopping content. As far as her personal style goes, she's largely drawn to classic pieces and neutral basics but will always make an exception for something colorful, printed, or bejeweled as long as it's deemed worthy enough. After all, the only thing she loves more than a good party is dressing up for one. On weekdays, she can usually be found at home eating something delicious for dinner and trying to force her husband to watch 90 Day Fiancé.