When Kaye Hall started out as a hairdresser in Cowes in the early 1980s, perms and big hair were all the rage.

In the duration of her career she has seen the "very blonde and very straight" era of the '90s through to the more "subtle, natural" current trend.

And throughout those years - until her retirement last week - she has gathered a loyal clientele.

"I still have clients today who I worked with in the 1980s," she says.

After she completed her apprenticeship in Melbourne, Kaye moved to Cowes in 1984 to work at Sundaram Hair Design, taking a break for a decade to have her three children before returning to work there in the late '90s to 2012.

She then opened Island Hair on Thompson Avenue, which she ran for five years.

From 2018 she worked for Elements Hair Room, until last week.

"In hairdressing you get to know people so well, see weddings and births.

"I've loved working with the team at Elements and I'll miss them all."

Kaye has always peppered her career with travel and in retirement has big plans with her partner Adrian, her children and partners and one grandchild, while she will continue to work one day a week at the Island Foodstore.

"We have bought a caravan so will be doing a little local travel but the international list of countries I want to see never ends.

"This year I'll be going to South East Asia, including Indonesia, India and Nepal."