At the Hollywood barber: Hair dryer off in L.A.
Dog McDougall is watching.
"Is she still in it?" That's the all-important question, with a bunch of 18 (!) Photographers storming anyone coming from the John Frieda salon at Melrose Place in Beverly Hills. They are waiting for actress Jennifer Garner. They suspect that inside the barber. Such a session can last. So the paparazzi continue to besiege the parlor, to which the Hollywood celebrities are making pilgrimages, to have their hair dyed, cut and styled.
Bad luck for the professional voyeurs that the beauty temple from the street is not visible. A narrow, lined with boxwood and red-painted passage leads like a funnel into the house. To make matters worse, the bottleneck is guarded. From McDougall, the daring black Scotcherrier of Joann Smyth, who owns the fine jewelry shop next door. However, he is bribable (with pats) and clears the way.
But not Andi Steloff. At the polite-determined brunette behind the glass door to the salon, nobody passes who is not registered. That would be even nicer. "This is our workplace, but our home during the day," says the salon manager, "we are here like a family that welcomes its guests as friends, it has a private atmosphere."
Guy's tattooed arm rarely gets tired while blow-drying.
If you enter the salon, you feel immediately in good hands. There is no dress code for the 42-member crew. Everyone maintains his style, only vanity in the job is considered unprofessional and is frowned upon. Everyone is friendly with each other. No trace of hectic. And that, even though every seat in the store is occupied. The dates have been taken weeks - for the Oscar night on 25 February. For this mega event, anyone in the movie city of Los Angeles can be styled for a sleek, alluring, glittering walk across the red carpet. To insist in the flashlight of the photographer is in every respect a matter of the mind. Because, stylist Guy Riggio sums up the status of his profession, "with a good hairstyle, you automatically go straight up, even if you're naked".
is still there. Jonathan Gale, one of the colorists, dyes her mane with wisps. Well over 100 he put in her shoulder-length hair. Each is wrapped twice in length in aluminum foil. He puts the second layer over the hairline like a ring. Two assistants are enough to foil and color bowls. That works in the chord. Fold-hinged Klapp the 48-year-old leafs now the silver strips around like pages in a book and sounds the fine strands in between in another nuance. Meanwhile, Miss Garner has a huge bauble headdress that would be worthy of the volume of an Indian chief.
Negan brushes highlights into her hair.
"I love Christmas", Jonathan enjoys himself unabashedly about his latest glittering. He also decorated Minnie Driver this morning for color refreshment. She is already on her way home. Like Geena Gershon. The pragmatist knows about the effect of color. Positive: "The right tone rejuvenates." And negative: "Just do not get too light in old age," he warns with a wink, "that makes invisible."
There are many divas on his VIP customer list. "Women usually prefer to style their hair with men," says Jonathan, "when we touch the hair, we treat it with care by stroke, without the ulterior motive, that's the point, the women can enjoy it and relax." Manager Andi also believes that women prefer to be styled by men. However, for another reason: "The customers want to be looked at and styled by the eyes of those who want to impress them with their hairstyle as a priority." Before the Oscar ceremony, Andi, who is up to ten hours a day on high heels behind her reception counter, also achieves a second peak performance. She coordinates the dates of the stars with those of the preferred hair artist. But the more stress behind the scenes may occur, the quieter and more concentrated everyone does before his job.
Under the hood, the customers can switch off.
Is that due to the crystals that are placed in the salon according to feng shui rules and intended to spread harmony and energy? Or the Californian sunshine, which sends daylight and warmth through floor-to-ceiling glass walls into the five interlocking rooms, even in winter? They are purist white and surround a U-shaped atrium, in the middle of an azure pool. Fresh flowers are swimming on the water. Bougainvilleas and tall ficus trees provide natural shade in the hidden courtyard when customers are sitting outside (!) Under the hood.Like Jennifer Garner right now.
"I knew immediately: This is the right place," remembers John Frieda at the visit seven years ago. The British star barber already owned five salons in London and New York when he bought the apartment on Melrose Place owned by singer Neil Diamond. On clientele John Frieda did not need to wait long. Meg Ryan came first, followed by Michelle Pfeiffer. , , "This was done word of mouth, very quickly," recalls Andi, who has been here since its opening in 2000.
John Frieda himself leaves the styling of long-time professionals in the industry lining up to work in his salon at Melrose Place. He uses her creativity and experience to create highly successful innovative products for his hair care brand. Because stars often have fine lint by their very nature and not the enigmatic splendor with which they appear in public and are photographed, John Frieda and his team have just developed the new styling line "Volume".
Adrian checks the hair exactly before the first cut.
Kisses on the right, kisses on the left. Kim Basinger, casual in flip-flops and yoga suit, greets colorist Negin Zand, who specializes in coloring hair. Negin paints the finest strokes from the crown to the tips. "Thin at the top and broader at the bottom," says the 37-year-old, "it should look like the hair is naturally kissed by the sun." Incidentally, she can not paint walls or on paper. On hair as a background, however, she runs to Picasso format. Nicole Kidman, Sarah Jessica Parker, Reese Witherspoon, Jane Fonda, Cate Blanchett, Penelope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson, but also Jon Bon Jovi and Daniel Craig, the new Bond, have a real "Zand" on their heads. The costs - depending on the effort - from $ 350. Between $ 500 and $ 600, the well-heeled clientele leafs through on average for a visit to Frieda's salon. Plus plenty of tips.
"Whether I put a chignon on Geena Davis," says Teddy Antolin, 59, grandseigneur among the stylists, "depends on the dress she wears." Mostly the stars show what they will wear before. But that can change at the last minute. Flexibility is needed. Teddy has already combed Zsa Zsa Gabor and Hildegard Knef for a movie, now he's dressing Paris Hilton and Sharon Stone out. Teddy Antolin's workplace is decorated with images of his friend Derik and his cat "Cupcake", crystals, orchid and bright red hair dryer and immediately stands out in the stylistically clear, purist ambience of the always perfectly tidy salon. The Asian loves to teach the assistants who have to do their styling training once a week. "Then, for example, I'll take out a photo of Galliano's Dior dress, cut off my head to keep my hair out, and say: Stylt the hairstyle for this fashion, but not one but two!" That's how you teach creativity.
Winder and perm, he rejects like the other stylists here totally. For super curls are used curly extensions, hair extensions, otherwise they all rely on the power of the brushes. "They have to be thick, good ones with natural bristles, giving them volume and bounce," says Guy. "Exactly," agrees Adrian Castillo, "but the most important thing is to tone your hair with a styling product and really blow dry properly, taking the least time, and then wondering when her hairstyle collapses."
The stylists themselves wonder about something completely different. No, not about the fact that even VIPs appear to them with photos of the screen competition and want exactly their hairstyle. That's okay. It rather astonishes that so few customers are looking at the handles with which they style their hair. Adrian encourages everyone: "Sex up your style!"
Oh dear, the photographers. They are still waiting for Jennifer Garner. "Is she still in it?" Yes she is. And eat. She has a plastic bag on her head under which the color acts, balances sitting on a tray with a soup bowl on her knees and sipped the long noodles from it with relish. That would be a snapshot!
