Flashback Friday: Remembering Vidal Sassoon
Long before Charles Worthington, Toni&Guy or Peter Mark, there was Vidal Sassoon. He was one of the first celebrity hairdressers. Sadly, the visionary passed away five years ago this week, on May 9. We're celebrating the genius of the man through his most infamous cuts.
The British hairdresser changed women's lives during the sixties, particularly with his "five-point cut" which meant no bedtime rollers or dryers - only freedom.
The swinging sixties were definitely the time of crossing fashion borders.
"Women were going back to work, they were assuming their own power. They didn't have time to sit under the dryer anymore." - Vidal Sassoon.
Vidal Sassoon was in Dublin in 1981 to open David Marshall's hair salon - watch his interview from RTÉ Archives when he spoke to Summerhouse reporter Aine O'Connor about his impressive career.
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Other notable cuts included the famous angular bobs and swinging bobs inspired by Bauhaus architecture's lines and shapes. Sassoon told The Times in 1993:
"My idea was to cut shape into the hair, to use it like fabric and take away everything that was superfluous."
Soon, Sassoon attracted famous clients including Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth, Jean Shrimpton and fashion designer Mary Quant who popularised the miniskirt as well as model Peggy Moffitt.
Peggy was clearly a fan of Sassoon, as she said:
Sassoon is to hair care what Picasso is to painting.
Opening salons and creating his products line in the United States, Sassoon's revolutionary ad slogan was "If you don't look good, We don't look good".
Director Roman Polanski used the hairdresser's London salon for his film Repulsion starring Catherine Deneuve in 1965. And he didn't stop there.
In 1968, the director paid Sassoon $5,000 dollars to cut Mia Farrow's long hair for his movie Rosemary's Baby and invited journalists to watch.
And thus, the pixie cut was born! Even in the film, Mia Farrow's character said:
"It's Vidal Sassoon! It's very in!"
Sassoon left an important legacy to fashion and the hairdressing industry, inspiring famous hairdressers such as John Barrett, Frederic Fekkai or Tabatha Coffey. The Sassoon Academy in London still trains the hairdressers of tomorrow.
In 2009, Vidal received his Commander of the British Empire medal from Queen Elizabeth II. Additionally, a documentary by Craig Teper celebrated his legacy in 2010.
And now? Well, these days everyone from Goldie Hawn to Keira Knightley and Rihanna has adopted Sassoon's timeless bob haircut.
