Text, Vivian G. Kelly, with contributions + photography by Richard Spiegel
“There is no luxury in fashion anymore, so that’s why you have to make sure that your hair looks great,” Quips ANTHONY PALERMO. “Isaac Mizrahi said on THE TODAY SHOW, that you have to have the right hair color, cut and shoes.”
THE DOLCE & GABBANAS OF HAIR
THANKS TO Rachel Paltesky of Edite, we found our way to this 4-month old salon on East 54th street, just off Madison Avenue. The Salon is downtown but uptown – a jewel box with custom-made leather chairs with grommets that are as comfy as the club chairs at the Cornell Club. The mirrors are also custom, and were fashioned to look like the dressing room mirrors in a boutique, so you can see your hair from every angle.
The Salon is the perfect place to have a fashion show, and a great off-site space for up and coming designers. Not surprisingly, Edite client, Glam-punk Princess, HALEH will be staging her show there this September. We look forward to seeing the Salon transformed into a punk rock den that evening.
ABOUT
Maybe you haven’t heard of Anthony or his partner, LEONARD ZAGAMI, but you’ve certainly heard of their famous clientele. Between them, they have numerous editorials and celebrity clients. To name just a few - the Springsteins, Madonna and family, Maria Sharapova,Tyra Banks and Iman. Anthony, by the way, loves, loves, LOVES Tyra. “She’s setting the tone for models to be. They’re all going to want what she has, the show, the contracts, she has it all.” Anthony’s a multi-media presence, maybe you caught him on the Oprah show when Oprah called him “a hair wizard”.
ANTHONY is the Salon’s Color Czar/Color Director, and started his hair career with Oribe Canales, the King of Big Sexy hair. LEONARD, the Creative Director, began at Bumble & Bumble, and does magic scissors and a blowdryer, minus the snarky superstar attitude.
Leonard does loads of shows, including Valentino’s exclusive VIP client and press shows in New York. With his easygoing manner and non-stop smile, it’s easy to see how Leonard charms everyone he deals with from Madison Avenue office workers to his celebrity clients.
DEFINING MOMENTS
Anthony identifies the highlights of his career [so far] are having been on Oprah, and having Madonna as a client. To that, we’ll add that he was the man responsible for the color of the Marilyn Monroe-esque wig that Oribe styled on Scarlett Johnasson for the Dolce & Gabbana ads shot by lensman Solve Sundsbro.
LEONARD CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT: The T3 Bespoked that’s Tourmaline infused and weights less than a can of coke. Small wonder, Leonard advised the creators about how to create the perfect hairdryer. “It’s heat, but the right heat because it breaks down the negative ions in the hair and dries it faster”. And it did, our hair was try in 3 minutes flat.
COLOR TRANSFORMATION
WE came in with an image of Madonna [one of Anthony’s clients] as she appeared in April W, firmly fixed in our mind, but walked out a redhead – Linda Evangelista style circa 1992. Although we’d secretly harbored a desire last year to have the red hair Kate Blanchett wore so well in “Elizabeth”, we never seriously thought we could achieve that flame color. All told, we spent @ 1 1/2 hours in the chair, and left a different woman.
THE VERDICT
Friendly, laid-back, and most importantly, these guys know what they’re doing and understand that for many women, hair is about fantasy and is a huge priority when it comes to how we feel about ourselves.
THE BOTTOM LINE: If you want beautiful editorial hair and a fun relaxed atmosphere, look no further.
The Anthony Leonard Salon is located on 532 Madison Avenue, 3rd floor, NYC
Tel: 212-750-8100
Take a peek at the website, which will be up and running by end of month
www.anthonyleonardsalon.com
ENDNOTES: COMING SOON!
- ORIBE’S DELUXE HAIR CARE PRODUCTS + NAIL SUPERSTAR, ELLE GERSTEIN
The next day, as we were somewhat concerned that our hair would appear dry after the bleach application. WE lined up our new ORIBE products and got ready to do some serious sampling, starting with the Shampoo and Condition, and the Gel Serum. The Serum promised us “Radiance, Magic, and Hold”, a tall order, even for the king of glamorous hair.
Later this week – how the products performed and product finder info.
- NAIL GURU to the stars - ELLE GURSTEIN & her super long lasting Barielle nail polish line
ADDITIONAL PHOTO CREDITS
Image of Scarlett Johansson by Solve Sundsbro
Image of Madonna by Steven Klein, April W
Image of Maria Sharapova from her official website, www.mariasharapova.com
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