OK friends, quiz time. What’s a beau font do-bust?
(Cue the Jeopardy tune.)
Don’t panic. You probably haven’t heard of it. In fact, I’m pretty sure my childhood girlfriends made it up.
I can so vividly recall one of them walking down the hallway of Meece Middle School repeating the phrase with gusto. “Look at that beau font do-bust,” she would say, pointing to a particularly spectacular hair style. And of course we were all envious. We wanted our hair to look like that too.
A beau font do-bust. Yep, that would refer to uber-teased mountains of bangs hosed with disgustingly sticky Aqua Net hair spray.
“Beau font” means “beautiful looking” or “good looks.” As for do-bust? I’m not sure from what that silly word is derived. (I even Googled it and found nothing). But I’m going to take my best guess that “do” is short for hairdo, and “bust” refers to the explosion happening on our foreheads. It could literally knock someone out. Regardless, the style was popular in the early ’90s and we thought it was fabulous, right up there with tight-rolled jeans and MC Hammer pants.
Thankfully, I no longer sport the do-bust. The girls at Somerset’s Beaux Cheveux Salon make sure of that — specifically, my wonderful hairdresser and friend Sara Aker Cox.
“Beaux Cheveux,” a French phrase, means something similar to “beau font”: beautiful hair. When the salon opened last year, owner Terry Weddle came to Kirby Stephens Design for help communicating the message that if you want beautiful hair, you should come see her team.
The ‘ol scissor-and-comb routine would not do for this branding campaign. Kirby wanted something different. When he happened upon a visual of the “beehive,” another period hair style, the creative juices started churning.
What resulted is a stylish, unique brand for a stylish, unique hair salon. Beaux Cheveux Salon: The New Buzz in Town. Kirby integrated the image of an actual beehive with bees flying around in the logo and on signs, while creating a rebus of the word “beautiful” (see above) to be used on stylists’ T-shirts and appointment cards. Advertisements are also fun, using images of women with 1950s hair styles to suggest a visit to Beaux Cheveux will take you “beyond the beehive.”
I’m happy to report from my salon chair every six to eight weeks that things are great for the ladies at Beaux Cheveux. The next time you need a cut, whether you’re male or female, give them a try. I’m always happy to walk through their door. The salon is beautiful, the atmosphere is relaxing, everyone is friendly, and best of all, I don’t come out looking like I did in the 1990s.
In fact, I think I’ll go home and burn all photos that might exist of that do-bust.