Dear ITG,
Emma [Stone] and I have been working together for almost 20 years, and our latest adventure brought us to the Venice Film Festival for the premiere of her new film, Bugonia. Venice is always such a dream—the gondolas, the boats, the romance of the city—but this trip is a whirlwind. We’re only here for 72 hours before heading straight to Telluride for the next premiere.
We landed Tuesday evening, had a full day of press yesterday to celebrate the opening of the film, and tonight, Emma walked the red carpet. Nina Park did her makeup, Petra Flannery styled her, and I took care of her hair. Emma shaved her head for Bugonia—she’s completely bald in most of the film—and I’ve been guiding its growth back ever since. We debuted her pixie at the Golden Globes, which was such a moment and really changed the conversation. You don’t want to over style a pixie in general, so my approach has been to bring in an effortless ease without it looking overly stiff—I never want the hair to wear the person.
Emma has been on a ’90s style run. Tonight she wore a custom Louis Vuitton beaded dress with thin straps and a square neckline—simple, pared-back, a little romantic—so the hair needed that same airiness. Personally (and I know this is semi-controversial), I love to start with a clean slate. I’d rather add product back in than fight with whatever’s left from the day before. Still, it’s personal, so I always check in with clients first. Most of the time they want to feel refreshed, so I pack travel-size kits of my Rōz Foundation shampoo and conditioner just for them.
For this look, I prepped with my Rōz bodybuilding, Air-Thickening spray to lift the roots, then used a T3 diffuser to rough-dry and shape with my fingers. My Evergreen styling cream was key—it’s lightweight but buildable, so you can restyle without heaviness. I love that it works for airy texture like this and sleek, slicked-back moments.
Styling short hair doesn’t take long, but we always set aside about 90 minutes—it gives us breathing room while Nina works her makeup magic, and it leaves space for little rituals, like champagne toasts. Tonight there’s an after party, but honestly? I’m more excited for pasta before our flight to Colorado.
By the way, I’ve come to learn that there’s an art to packing for these types of trips. My best packing trick: small bags you can shuffle between suitcases depending on what you need. And I never, ever check my hairdressing kit—I need to have eyes on it at all times.
It’s so exciting to be a small part of the release of such an anticipated film. And getting to collaborate with Emma, Nina, and Petra is an honor. We’re all so very close at this point that it really feels like a celebration of each other’s artistry and of Emma’s talent.
Love,
Mara Roszak
—as told to Daise Bedolla
Photos courtesy of Mara Roszak