If you don't follow hairstylist Sam McKnight on Instagram, well, for starters, you should, but more importantly, you would have missed the steady stream of incredible selfies he's been posting over the last few weeks. Each shows a bespectacled McKnight in a different hair piece (presumably one he's currently working on for a shoot or show), with a deadpan expression. (And they say fashion people don't have a sense of humor...)

Sure, McKnight's just having fun, but we see glimmers of fine-art genius à la Nina Katchadourian's ' Lavatory Self-Portraits in the Flemish Style.' ANYWAY. We asked McKnight, the hair whiz behind the manes at Chanel, Fendi, and a never-ending list of magazine editorials, about his inspiration for the series. “This is what happens when the makeup is being done!” he says. “I always carry few cases of wigs and pieces, so I have them right beside me at work. Sometimes, I cut them on myself. I have all colours and styles and textures, which seem to lend themselves to different characters. It's all just a bit of fun though, isn't that what Instagram is all about!” Indeed. (In case you're curious, the pink wig ended up in this Nick Knight V magazine story; the short, black shiny one is from this Testino shoot; and the punky black wig was used in this Spring '13 Love editorial, also shot by Testino.)

Photos from Sam McKnight's Instagram: @SamMcKnight1. Check out his website, too.