Fiona Shackelton entered the High Court yesterday with hair like Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. She emerged looking more like Diana, Princess of Wales: sleek, smooth and a little bit sexy. No-one said damp hair was a fashion disaster.

Shackleton’s pre-splash hair was what you might expect from a woman protecting Sir Paul McCartney’s £400 million fortune in the High Court. It was big, it was bouffant and it was held together with several gallons of hair-spray. It said ‘you’ll have to get past my hair Ms Mills, before you get to my client.’

Yet it was a haircut that also said ‘I’m stuck in a style rut’. Relying on volume – and too much of it – plus a fringe that resembled a pair of draped curtains - is all too common amongst women of Shackleton’s age and professional stature. Too fearful to experiment with something more modern and, dare we say it, sexy, Shackleton remains within the confines of conformity and sticks to a hairstyle that harks back to the Eighties. Indeed this was probably the last time she changed her hairstyle. ‘Splashgate’ was a blessing in disguise.

As far as wardrobe malfunctions go, having a glass of water thrown over you in court is on a level with Janet Jackson’s exposed nipples; Fiona Shackleton must not have been expecting a dousing from her client’s former wife. Yet Mills’s act of aqueous irritation proved to transform Shackleton’s look, unexpectedly, for the better. As George Northwood, Creative Director of the London hair salon Daniel Hersheson, confirmed, ‘Shackleton’s hair was so big and fluffy before, it just dated her look.’ On her exit it was quite different, ‘she looked more relaxed. The hair didn’t consume her, it looked more like a natural part of her; it was less of a contrived style. Flatter and sleeker, it just worked better.’

The wet look is one that was espoused in its most potent form by Diana, Princess of Wales in 1995. When visiting New York for the Fashion Designer Awards she upped the style ante, slicking her hair back with gel away her face to reveal a modern, fresh and simultaneously composed look, perfectly in tune with the event she was attending. Similarly, Shackleton’s wet look instantly rejuvenated her image: pulling the hair away from her face revealed a freshness and even a hint of edgy sportiness. It had the power to modernise her overall appearance: it revealed more of her gleaming complexion, while still affirming her air of control. She did her job well, even when faced with adversity in the form of projectile H2O.

So how should Shackleton proceed - slick Diana or pouffy Camilla? According to George Northwood she should ‘grow it longer, so the layers are not so bouffy. If it is heavier, it will hang straighter. She obviously has wild hair, so she should get a regular blow dry to smooth the hair down. It certainly looks better off her face.’ That or hope that Heather Mills brings her bottle of Evian to the next appeal.

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