Anna Cofone work with Lana Del Rey

Since June 2011,  so nearly two and a half years.

We did our very first ‘trial’ shoot in June 2011. I remember feeling so nervous…
It was an amazing day in that we all got on so well together and there was an instant bond. Not long after that, we did the press shots for the album cover of Born to Die and the single cover for Video Games.

It really varies depending on which magazine we’re shooting or music video. A lot of the time it’s spontaneous…a feeling…a moment. Other times we work together on a mood board.
Lana is a very directional and visual person, with true love and passion for old Hollywood icons so there are often images of Greta Garbo, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly. Marilyn Monroe was key for the storyline of the video for the National Anthem.
We also started to get inspired by the looks of Priscilla Presley and her early years of being married to Elvis.
Having assisted top fashion hairstylists Sam McKnight and Eugene Souleiman,  I had a good solid foundation of how to execute beautiful technical shapes that you need to learn to achieve styles like these.
I also have a love of iconic fashion hairdresser Julien D’Ys work and how he uses fabrics and materials helped me to integrate headpieces including flowers into the looks.

Lana has this wonderful ability to tell vivid and colorful stories in her songs. She is a poet first and foremost and so for me, just being able to read the lyrics to her songs is an inspiration.
She has an incredible eye and vision when writing the storyline for her videos so I’m always able to pull the right hair references in for us to look at together, to see what the right fit is.
Lana is an absolute artist, every time we work together she not only inspires me with her ideas but also with how she treasures her fans.

Like many hairstylists, it’s always been important to me to have key products from several brands in my kit. I always make sure I have Bumble & Bumble Prep Spray, L’Oreal Volume Architect and Mousse, Shu Uemura Sheer Lacquer Spray, Kiehls Silk Groom Creme. I’m especially in love with Oribe’s texture spray.

My treasured Titanium Elchim hair dryer. It was given to me to try a few months ago and I absolutely love it for its light weight and super-fast drying technology. I have the full range of Babyliss Pro tongs and also the Cloud9 Wand which is brilliant for creating effortless tousled looking hair

Shu Uemura Shu Su Sleek has a shampoo as well as a conditioner for dry rebellious hair . It has cumin oil which is very nourishing and smells divine
Oribe Signature Shampoos and conditioners are also magnificent.

I’m always on the hunt for new pins and grips as well as the ultimate bags to store everything in..I am very particular with how I like things packed into my kit and stored . My dearest assistant Kerri can probably recall a few excruciating moments of having to sort through bags of pins and grips and rearranging hundreds of products that are all separated by brand.

I love going to the hair suppliers on Passage de L’Industrie in Paris, Rickys in New York, Paks in Finsbury Park, and Charlie’s in Shepherds Bush in London. But you’ll often find me in the fabric shops in London’s Berwick Street, or the arts and crafts shops on the look out for new materials I can use to make head pieces.