MANILA - Outlandishly styled tresses became oddly attractive in the latest trend-setting hair show "Face2Face."

The photo exhibit, held recently at the Fiamma Bar and Resto in Jupiter Street in Makati City, is a display of avant-garde hair designs by stylist Jake Galvez.

Galvez makes futuristic and cutting edge styles for each featured celebrity's crowning glory.

TV babe Bianca Gonzales sports an outrageous pouffed up hairdo that would put "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" to shame.

She is seen in a bed of trinkets with her fellow coiffured pirate princess, Alessandra da Rossi. Actress Angel Aquino sports a tight 'do reminiscent of the headpieces of Egyptian Queens.

Sexy star Katrina Halili looks rugged in her tossed-up long locks, but the heavy wigs lent her an enigmatic look. Siblings Max Eigenmann and Sid Lucero are picture-perfect spies in aggressive hairstyles.

International singing sensation Charice Pempengco looks hip and lady-like - looking uncannily like singer Yeng Constantino - in her brunette curls and gold-flecked make-up.

New personas

The concept of the pictorial is to discover the "other persona" of each celebrity using wardrobe, props, and styling

Galvez said he wanted to bring out the "many facets of his models."

“People might perceive Katrina (Halili) as just a sexy thing. But she also [is a] simple person through the image I have created on her hair,” he said.

He said some of the models were easy to style, while others were more challenging.

“Bianca (Gonzales) was the most flexible because I could do a lot to her hair. So she could portray a lot of characters like a temptress, a pious (girl), a shy or even a very simple girl from the province. Charice (Pempengco) was the most challenging model to transform and I think I was able to do that," he said.

Even Pempengco was surprised when she saw her photo, almost unable to recognize herself. “Nakaya ko pala ‘yon,” she said.

Pempengco was thankful to Galvez, who was also grateful for all his models, who did the photo shoots for free.

Beauty runs in the family

The talent for styling runs in Galvez's blood. He is the nephew of renowned beauty expert Tony Galvez who has built a thriving business empire with a chain of salons and a cosmetology school.

“He is a very creative artist and I think he deserves to [be] bequeath[ed] my know-how in his business,” Tony said.

Since Galvez was a boy, he often accompanied his uncle to many hair seminars, consultations, applications, contests, awards and shop management workshops; so it may come as no surprise that the trade rubbed off on him. He started training under Tony when he was 16.

At 24, however, Galvez is on his own.

“Jake is a sample of [a] new generation of beauty think tank, which I prepared him to be,” Tony said.

While he is being groomed to inherit his uncle's estate someday, the two have very different views on the accessibility of their trade.

While Tony opts to keep his cutting-edge haircuts exclusive to those who can afford it, Galvez thinks there is a way to make "hair couture" affordable for the masses in these tough economic times.

“Hindi kami ang dapat mag-adjust sa masa sa gusto nilang gupit. This is the fad and they should follow it. Kung hindi nila kaya, they should try to earn more and be able to subscribe and pay the current hair fashion,” Tony insisted.

Galvez, however, wants to try a different tack: “Puwede naman po kaming mag-adjust sa masa. Maraming paraan. Kahit na parang sosyal ang hair fashion namin." Report by Boy Villasanta.