THOSE gentlemen who prefer blondes received some bad news this week. Sophie Dahl has dyed her locks a dramatic shade of raven-black. Sophie the voluptuous granddaughter of the children's author, Roald Dahl, took the plunge for a fashion shoot for "Elle" magazine. But, so thrilled is she with her Gothic transformation, she has decided to stick it - for the time being at least. "I'm really pleased I dyed my hair she says. "It means no one recognises me, which is great I feel like a different person.

Miss Dahl is not alone in her enthusiasm for darker tresses This season the peroxide bottle - not to mention those fiddly little bits of foil that hairdressers use when applying highlights - are about as fashionable as mini-skirts and stilettos. Madonna has swapped her strawberry blonde Botticelli curls for a straight black mane. Eva Herzigova, the former Wonderbra model, has dyed her sun-kissed yellow tresses an autumnal shad e of reddish. Meg Mathews, wife of Oasis member Noel Gallagher, has gone from brassy blonde to honey-nut brown - as has her sister-in-law Patsy Kensit.

"I think a lot of women are keen to make a statement," says Richard Thompson the international creative director of the London salon, Mahogany. Recently, several of his customs have walked in, and announced that they wish to get rid of their blonde hairstyles. "There has been so much written about the legion of television blondes - people like Denise van Outen and Zoe Ball - that there is something of a backlash going on. Dark hair is more serious and sultry, you can give it real shine, and it goes better with this season's cashmeres, greys and dark nail polishes."

Girls, it seems, no longer wanna have fun; they would rather be taken seriously. "The sexy look has died," says Linda Burns, beauty editor of the alternative style magazine, Scene.

"Since unusual-looking like Karen Elson started making it big emphasis has been on girls who look interesting - as though they have a bit of personality and intelligence." Miss Herzigova has been "perceived completely differently" since she went darker, says Paula Karaiskas of Storm, the agency which represents her. The Czech model's image used to be fluffy and pneumatic. Recently, however, she has been in demand for cutting edge jobs- including being photographed in a butcher's apron, clutching a handful of raw liver.

Miss Dahl is also on Storm's books and, according to the agency, the response to her new hair colour has been extremely positive. She is booked up for months. "

07/11/1998