Salon news

Dallas beauty veteran unpacks her shears in an innovative new salon

Jessica "Jake" Tafoya founded The Mod Labb in 2013.

Photo by Maribel Morales

Dallas beauty entrepreneur Jessica "Jake" Tafoya is expanding her burgeoning salon empire with a new location of her popular Mod + Body Labb a little farther west, in Arlington.

The new location, at 3001 S. Cooper St., will be Tafoya's third Mod + Body Labb in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and is expected to open in October. This site will combine Tafoya's two original concepts, The Mod Labb and The Body Labb, which are well-established sister businesses in the heart of Oak Cliff.

With her new locale, Tafoya, who is Latina, wants to continue her mission to serve the diverse women of North Texas by offering services for all hair textures and skin tones.

“As a proud woman of color, we come in all shapes, sizes, and tones," she says in a release. "I know firsthand how difficult it can be to find a salon or beauty professional that understands the complexities of my hair and skin.

"I saw this as an opportunity to fill the gap and have created a welcoming environment that redefines the standard of beauty, by celebrating our differences and encouraging women to be unapologetically themselves.”

The Arlington location, built by RDZ Builders, will offer a 7,100-square-foot beauty oasis in a two-story building.

The first floor (Mod Labb) will offer hair services, including haircuts, hair restoration, hair coloring, curl cuts, and hair extensions. The second floor (Body Labb) will house skin, face, and body services, such as face/body waxing, makeup artistry, bridal glam, tanning, and brow shaping.

Hair and body services range from $10 to $250.

“Our overall mission is deeper than helping our clients achieve their hair and skin goals," Tafoya says. "As women, we always look to incorporate change in our lives in order to evolve and be the best version of ourselves."

Tafoya founded The Mod Labb in Oak Cliff in 2013, then opened Body Labb across the street. The native Texan always wanted to work in the beauty industry and aims to make a positive impact within diverse communities.

She's kept her eye on the goal of branching out from Oak Cliff, and the Arlington location made sense, she says, because clients were driving from Arlington and Fort Worth to visit her Dallas salon.

Beyond serving the DFW community, Tafoya's team has worked with celebrities including Grand Prairie-raised actress and singer Selena Gomez and model and TV personality Denise Bidot.

"With the work we do and the meaningful conversations we have behind the chair, we aim to shift how women view themselves, to recognize the powerful beings we see — physically and beyond," Tafoya says.

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COUNTRY CACHET

Cirque du Soleil in Dallas boasts Western costumes by Beyonce stylist

Photo courtesy of Cirque du Soleil

Songblazers will be in Houston through August 11.

Entertainment circus tour Cirque du Soleil has mounted a new US tour, one that represents its first foray into an unlikely milieu: country music. CalledSongblazers, it comes to Dallas during the State Fair of Texas with a celebrity behind the scenes: famed stylist Zerina Rosette Akers who created the costumes for the show.

This marks Akers' Cirque du Soleil debut, but she has years of experience in the fashion world. She was Beyonce's personal stylist for nearly a decade and has styled other big names in the entertainment industry, including Houston native Megan Thee Stallion, Chloe and Halle Bailey, and more.

Western influences have taken over mainstream fashion over the past few seasons. Icons in the fashion industry, including Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren, Dior, and Chloé, have created entire collections around Western style. With Songblazers, Akers had the opportunity to do the same.

"I was inspired by country fashion and country music past and present. I really dug into a ton of different musicians and artists, but also runway style and fashion and how it's incorporated to have the best of both worlds of fashion and music meet," Akers says.

Cirque de Soleil Akers added to Songblazers by telling the story of country songs and music through her designs. Sketch courtesy of Cirque du Soleil

Cirque costumes are famously flexible and versatile, allowing the performers to move freely during their performances. According to Akers, she worked with the commonly known aspects of country fashion, adding a Cirque du Soleil essence paired with modern Western-influenced fashion. And, of course, spandex. "Everything has to be spandex 'cause we gotta move," she says.

One of Akers' favorite creations for the show was the famed nudie suit. For those unfamiliar with nostalgic country fashion, a nudie suit is a highly embellished stage costume that became a status symbol of country music performers dating back to the 1950s.

Cirque de Soleil Western Akers designed her version of the famous country music nudie suit. Sketch courtesy of Cirque du Soleil

For many, it became a symbol of the American Dream. Akers created her own version for Songblazers.

"My favorite style piece of the country aesthetic is the nudie suit. It's so glam and rooted in culture and performance; it's just gorgeous," she says.

To complement the costumes, Vanessa Ashley, makeup specialist for Cirque du Soleil, says the color palette for the show is vibrant and happy. She pulled from the colors of the costumes to create a palette of blues, oranges, pinks, and purples. The makeup team teaches the artists how to do their makeup and hair by giving them lessons so they can complete their looks on their own weeks prior to the show.

Songblazers runs September 25-October 11 at the Music Hall at Fair Park. Tickets to the show include admission to the State Fair of Texas for the day of the show only, parking not included (does not include September 25-26).

Photo courtesy of Cirque du Soleil

Songblazers will be in Houston through August 11.

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