Forget designer(1) handbags and couture(2) frocks(3), these days style-conscious women are spending big on the latest luxury accessory, human hair extensions.

Hot on the heels of celebrity torchbearers(4) like Victoria Beckham and Paris Hilton, women are paying up to 1,000 euros (1,250 dollars) to have someone else's hair stuck to their heads.

"In a few hours a client can have the sort of length it would take years to grow. That's why it's so attractive," said Eric Roman, an upmarket(5) Parisian hairstylist who honed his extension techniques on top catwalk models.

"Women see stars like actress Sharon Stone, who went from short to long for her role in 'Basic Instinct 2', and they want to do the same without waiting for months," said Roman.

Ethnic women have long used hair extensions to create braids(6) or sleek(7) styles as an alternative to chemical straightening, but new techniques and improved hair quality have propelled(8) the trend into the mainstream.

A decade ago most hair strands were synthetic(9), screamed fake and were a definite no-go zone(10) for women wanting a subtle look.

These days human hair is widely available and affordable.

"In the past the techniques were really clunky(11) and it could look cheap. Today they are so advanced it looks totally natural. Women really have the opportunity to play with their hair as they would clothes or accessories," said Roman.

Attaching hair extensions may sound eye-wateringly(12) uncomfortable, but it's a pain-free procedure. Strands(13) of human hair are attached to the base of the client's own hair, very close to the scalp, with a very mild form of adhesive(14). They are carefully matched in colour and texture to blend in.

The increased popularity of extensions certainly suggests many women still equate(15) long, luscious locks with being desirable, sexy and feminine.

Twenty-eight year-old chef, Tory Doody took the plunge(16) and had extensions attached after a bad haircut left her with a straggly(17) coiffure(18) she hated.

"Most people have no idea it's not my hair because it matches my hair type exactly," says Doody.

Doody's new hair was, of course, once on someone else's head. Her extensions are made from so-called Indian temple hair, the most popular type of human hair sold in Europe and the United States because it most closely resembles western hair in texture.

In India, practising Hindu women cut off their hair in temples as part of a religious tradition. The hair is then washed and processed by exporters for the world market.i5Q中国英语学习网

1. designer：带设计者标志的

2. couture：装由设计师制作的极流行的服装

3. frock：长衣

4. torchbearer：领导者，启蒙者

5. upmarket：高档的

6. braid：发辫

7. sleek：时髦的，讲究的

8. propel：推进

9. synthetic：合成的，人造的