Vidal Sassoon died yesterday at the age of 84, but he will be forever remembered for his trademark and revolutionary sharp bowl haircuts which instantly made short hair fashionable, and finally freed women from sleeping in hair rolls, or from spending hours getting their hair done into unpractical beehives. 

“My idea was to cut shape into the hair, to use it like fabric and take away everything that was superfluous. Women were going back to work, they were assuming their own power. They didn’t have time to sit under the dryer anymore.” He said in his interview with the Los Angeles Times in 1993.

He was the first hairstylist to become a celebrity in his own right and his most famous clients are women who shaped the imaginary of the swinging London in the sixties. Many of those women are hands down some of my favourite style icons E-V-E-R !!! 

1) PEGGY MOFFITT: the “FIVE POINT” haircut. 

Peggy Moffitt you rock my world! - Model and actress, she was an outstanding personality in the 60’s fashion scene: her unique look was made immediately recognisable by her sharp asymmetric bowl haircut that became known as the “FIVE POINT”. She always themed it with kabuki inspired heavy eye make up and fake eyelashes. So cool!

Peggy made a name for herself by modelling bathing suits designed by Rudi Gernreich…

…and at some point she made international headlines, when she was photographed by her husband William Claxton wearing the famous topless monokini (above). Super sexxxxy!

2) TWIGGY !!! The face of 1966.

Such an iconic portrait! It made Twiggy’s breaktrough in 1966, it was shot by legendary photographer Barry Lategan and it is now exhibited at the V&A museum in London. Twiggy was scouted while working as a shampooist in a hair salon, her look stood out as it was so androgynous thanks to her boyish haircut, which she themed with 3 layers of fake eyelashes. She also painted additional ones at the bottom of her eyes. 

This look is to this day one of the most imitated and it has been constantly reinterpreted. It also inspired one of the cover stories of i-D magazine recently shot by Richard Bush.

3) MARY QUANT: the “PIXIE” cut! 

Mary Quant is not only the godmother of MOD culture, but first of all a pioneer of fashion! She is the designer who started a revolution by inventing the mini-skirt, the garment that above all expressed the liberated spirit of the “Chelsea girls” in the sixties. Also, without Mary Quant there wouldn’t have been any hot pants, plastic umbrellas and graphic print tights…!

She was not only an outstanding creative talent but also possessed a sharp business sense: together with Barbara Ulanicki (the founder of BIBA) Quant was one of the first to come up with the idea that it was possible to create ready to wear fashion accessible to all women, not only the wealthy bunch. It was the beginning of high street fashion!

Enterpreneur, designer and pioneer of 60’s design: she was the embodiment of the independent, empowered and busy woman of her era. Vidal Sassoon well interpreted the shift in the lifestyle and needs of women like her.

He gave Mary Quant a haircut that was as edgy as her own designs: it was a short angular sculpted bob which he called the “PIXIE” haircut. It became trademark of the MOD style. 

Mary Quant getting her hair done by Vidal Sassoon: a mod icon was born!

4) MIA FARROW’s short crop: minimal & chic-issimo!

On the set of the horror movie “Rosemary’s Baby” Vidal Sassoon gave actress Mia Farrow a super short crop, that totally made her look for her very first leading film role and propelled Sassoon into international stardom as well. It was the year 1968.

Forty years on I think this hairstyle is so timeless, beautiful and super-chic. It will always be in style!

Below: actress Emma Watson sporting a Farrow-esque short haircut in 2010.

Below: Sassoon cutting Farrow’s hair on the set of the movie Rosemary’s Baby. Her outstanding performance made this into a cult-movie of its genre and won her the “Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year”.

I think Vidal Sassoon “changed the world with a pair of scissors” because, like all the best creative people, he was able to grasp the spirit of his time and translate it into something that people wanted as part of their own everyday life….As it expressed their way of living and thinking. What a great inspiration he will always be! 

INFO:

https://sassoon.com/

http://www.williamclaxton.com/

http://www.twiggylawson.co.uk/

http://i-donline.com/

http://i-donline.com/authors/richard-bush/

http://www.barrylategan.com/

http://www.maryquant.co.uk/

A few days ago I was at the launch of SNOWDON BLUE, the first book to be published by the edgy Swedish fashion brand ACNE STUDIOS. 

The book features a collection of sixty celebrity portraits taken by London born Photographer Anthony Armstrong-Jones (better known as Lord Snowdon) and chronicles his fondness for the colour blue, in particular his creative use of blue shirts as many of the famous sitters, from Yves Saint Laurent to Lady Diana Spencer, David Bowie, Ralph Fiennes, Britt Ekland and Sybille Bedford, are wearing shirts belonging to Snowdon himself. 

This is a touring exhibition and the sixty portraits will be presented in the ACNE STUDIOS stores in  London Paris and Stockholm. If you haven’t made it yet pop down at the London Store at 13 Dover Street and check it out before it finishes: tomorrow is the last day!  

David Bowie’s portrait at the exhibition: he is wearing one of the photographer’s own blue shirts…LOOOVE! ♥♥♥

To coincide with the launch of the book, ACNE STUDIOS have designed a limited edition of blue shirts inspired by the ones worn in Snowdon’s portraits and by his use of the colour blue in the pictures. 

They come in different shades and four styles called ISHERWOOD, CHATWIN, SNOWDON and PJ. Check out my selection below and tell me you did not fall a little bit in love?

ISHERWOOD

ISHERWOOD DENIM

CHATWIN

SNOWDON

SNOWDON DENIM

My favourite is definitely the PJ shirt … Love at first sight! ♥

If you are passionate about photography…There is also a more exclusive series of five prints, featuring Agatha Christie, Serge Gainsbourg, Georg Baselitz, Britt Ekland and Ian McKellen each in a signed and numbered limited edition of twenty, presented in a cloth-bound portfolio and available to buy at £1200. Each print has been personally inspected, signed and numbered by Snowdon to verify its authenticity. For more info contact: info@snowdon-review.com.

Below a snapshot of Britt Ekland’s portrait at the exhibition.  

Lord Snowdon began his career as a photographer in 1951. His work touches many different areas spanning from theatre, fashion, dance, film documentaries and reportage. He is known for his portraits of outstanding personalities such as Hockney, Freud, Dietrich, Nuryeyev, Tatcher, Blair, Bowie, Mercury and the Queen. He still works today from his studio-house in Kensignton.

INFO:

http://shop.acnestudios.com/

Email: info@snowdon-review.com

One of my favourite advertising campaigns E-V-E-R  it is the Versace Spring Summer 2001 with model Malgosia Bela shot by Steven Meisel. SUPER SEXYYYY!!!