1. In historic building known as The Royal Arcade located off the Bourke Street Mall, home to Gog and Magog and up the winding stairs. How did you find the gem of a space?
I found this gorgeous space by being patient and sifting through lots of Melbourne real estate! The right space is paramount to the success of every business and this particular space needed a lot of love. Royal Arcade has a wonderful history and has managed to keep a little quirk about it which I love. Each of my clients comments on how relaxed they feel here at Confidente and that's what I wanted – goal achieved.
2. Melbourne loves a hidden little secret. How have you advertised your salon? Has twitter, facebook and your website helped? And how do you utilizes the Internet for your business?
I advertised initially on a small scale but word of mouth is the ultimate in this business. I did approach a lot of hotels and that really helped me to get on my feet. An online presence in the form of a website is crucial as people utilize the internet more. Twitter has been a lovely surprise as my clients are quite tech savy & I 've definitely had referrals through this medium. As for Facebook, I've chosen not to have a business page – I don't think it's so relevant to the style of business I run.
3. I’m noticing a worldwide trend for boutique, smaller salons, what are your thoughts on this? And what are the advantages for the operator and the client?
The Boutique Salon absolutely has its place! Clients want to feel special, have their time respected, connect with their Hairdresser and feel at home. From an operators perspective you get to utilize products that you believe in, achieve an optimal result as you're not rushing and really get to know your clients. We've create a space in which they can be themselves – communicate freely and not feel that the clock is ticking. Confidente is relaxing as there's no excess noise from lots of hairdryers or people talking over one another. In this environment my attention is 110% on them. A hair appointment becomes a pleasant part of your day and that is critically important.
4.Where have you worked previously?
I've worked at all levels of the industry from huge numbers to boutique and they have all proved challenging. This broad based experience has taught me so much and groomed me to be the hairdresser I am today. 6 years ago I was working for a company of approximately 150 – 200 staff where I was responsible for the training of over 100 hairdresser whilst running salons – yet here I am today focusing on the one client at a time. You have to be open to new experiences to learn new things and continue to build your skills.
5.How long have you been doing hair and when did you have your first hair “epiphany”?
I've been behind the chair for 14years and my hair epiphany was as simple as Hair is my fabric. I was working on a model and started to intertwine her locks with wool and into her costume – it looked sensational and from there I was obsessed! I enjoy making people feel great. I get a great sense of satisfaction from seeing the effect my work has on the clients. The effect is almost immediate. For some it's a smile, for others a transformation in their confidence! I get a kick out of it either way.
6.For readers who want to open a salon for themselves…what advice would you give to the up starters?
The advice I would give to anyone opening their own salon is to make sure it is your passion. It will be lots of hard work and you have to really want it. In particular the one on one salon will only succeed if you have a continued drive to improve yourself and have very strong skills all round. You can't be lazy. Ensure that you are capable of EVERYTHING - Hairdressers used to have strong skills in all areas and this has changed. If you want to succeed on your own it is mandatory.
7.Top five favorite tools (Example: wigo hairdryer, favorite product etc)
I could not live without a Parlux Blowdryer and Pin Curl Clips in my kit. Followed closely by a Linen Thread for gorgeous modern Hair Up, a nice fresh cut throat blade and Kevin Murphy Session Spray.
8. What do you feel are the problems facing the industry right now? (Example; recruitment, money, public opinion et al)
Unfortunately the Hairdressing Industry has been plagued by those who don't take it seriously as a profession. If the people working in the industry don't see it as a profession, how can we expect our clients and industry partners to see us as professionals? The removal of hairdressing from the skills shortage list will (I hope) see the return of serious professionals to the trade..
9. My research tells me you were a ‘rep” for a haircare company, could you tells us more about that? And how did you make the transition from hairdresser to rep and back to salon owner?
When you believe in a product it's a dream position for those that don't like to be surrounded by the same four walls and growing any business is satisfying. Whilst I loved the contact with salon teams and business owners, I missed the creative release that hairdressing provides.
11. What are your plans for the future?
To develop my concept and my skills set further and to offer the highest level of service to my clients that the industry has to offer..
10. What products do you use in the salon?
Ooh where to start?! I colour with Revlon Professional and L'Oreal, I style with Kevin Murphy, American Crew and Everescents. I like to work with various ranges so that I can cater to everyone as I'm very fussy! Everescents is the latest addition to Confidente, they are the ONLY Australian made, Certified Organic professional hair care range on the market. There are a lot of organic claims out there but once you dig deeper you often find that they're not certified or that there is an overseas parent company. I respect Everescents Philosophy, it's a great product and enables me to look after my clients health, the environment and most importantly to support Australian trade.
Confidente Salon.
email info@confidente.com.au
Telephone (03) 9663 2082
I thought this time I would explore the other side of this color of the dip dye technique that some hairstylist call ombre color, or graduated hair colour. It has a softer feel than the aggressive dip dye. Less in your face.
Here are some popular FAQ’s about ombre or dip dye hair color that I can answer.
Q. Is ombre or dip dye hair technique low maintenance?
A. Not really. There is a fine line between deliberate hair color and “I need my roots done” so regular trips to the salon is needed for shine and touch ups. Blonde hair often looks brittle at the ends so regular haircuts are mandatory.
Q. What is the difference between “dip dye” and Ombre hair color?
A. The dip Dye technique leaves a hard line best suited to blunt haircuts of any length. Whereas Ombre color is a soft blending of color from roots to the ends of your hair, say from dark to light, or the other way around. This technique is best suited for longer layered or choppy haircuts.
Q. Is Dip Dye and Ombre hair color technique new?
A. Not at all, it’s been one of the many techniques in the hairdressing arsenal for years. Like all things fashionable, it’s come around again this time with more gusto.
And If you want to see more images of Alexa Chung, Abby Lee Kershaw, Drew Barrymore, Katie Shillingford and Lou Doillion all sporting dip dye hair please click here.
Guido Palau is considered one of the world's most inventive, conceptual hair stylists, working from the philosophy that hair should be styled with more thought than product.
Collaborating for the past fifteen years with designers, advertisers, and editorial publications, Guido has raised hairstyling to an art form. He works regularly with fashion photographers Steven Meisel, David Sims, and Mert Alas & Marcus Piggot. Guido’s innovative work is featured regularly in Italian, French, British and American Vogue, POP, Another Magazine, V, and W.
Guido’s radically expressive styles have been seen on the runway for such diverse fashion houses as Louis Vuitton, Calvin Klein, Versace, Marc Jacobs, Prada, Miu Miu, and Alexander McQueen.
His first book, Heads: Hair by Guido, was published to much acclaim in 2000 and features a decade of stunning head shots, a testament to hair as style's most defining signature. Guido has recently teamed up with hair care giant Redken to be a creative consultant on their various lines of products and represent them through his work in fashion editorial and on runway shows.
All Hair by Guido Palau.
Ever wondered where the inspiration came for all those short pixie haircuts we are seeing all over Hollywood and in fashion magazines right now? Allow me to trace the secret life of cropped hair inspired by the actress Jean Seberg, pictured center above.
Jean Seberg was American, born in Iowa, November 13, 1938. As a little known seventeen year-old, she blazed onto the silver screen as Joan of Arc with short shorn-off hair. She beat such heavy weights as Audrey Hepburn for the part in film director Otto Preminger's controversial biopic Saint Joan (1958). Critics canned the movie at the time, blaming the director and Jean Seberg for their inexperience. She is quoted as saying:
"I have two memories of St. Joan. The first was being burned at the stake in the picture. The second was being burned at the stake by the critics. The latter hurt more. I was scared like a rabbit and it showed on the screen. It was not a good experience at all. I started where most actresses end up."
Film buffs and hair geeks will note that hairdresser Gordan Bond (The Italian Job 1969, Fiddler on the Roof 1971) was responsible for cutting and maintaining Jean Seberg’s hair on set.
But it wasn’t until Jean Seberg met legendary cult film director Jean-Luc Godard that she got her worldwide fame with a film called “A bout de Soufflé” released in 1960, or with the English title “Breathless”. Seberg plays Patricia, her flawless French betrayed only by the hint of her American accent. Nine minutes and forty seconds into the film we see Seberg, a gamine figure with the face of innocence, hawking the New York Herald Tribune in her T-shirt, pedal-pushers and flats, walking down the Champ Elysee. It is an iconic moment in motion picture history. It’s at that exact moment in time when the film critics and the fashion elite took notice.
For me, as a hairdresser, I see Jean Seberg’s hair in “A bout de Soufflé” as one part American classic glamour: clean sophisticated lines, cool and casual. And yet, there is part of that Parisian charm of looking like she rolled out of bed effortlessly, slightly disheveled and without a concern about her hair at all. I have described this haircut to my colleagues as “the right kind of wrong haircut”: strong, liberating and defiant, yet soft and oh-so-feminine. At the 39 minute 14 second mark, you can watch Seberg cut her own hair with nail scissors. A key scene where her hairstyle is summed up as deliberate, yet not contrived at all.
Jean Seberg is quoted as saying, “I know they (the French) loved the short hair. It was very daring then because of the concentration camp memories”.
Sure, she wasn’t the first woman to have short-cropped hair. In fact, during the 1920s, short hair was fashionable across America and Europe with girls cutting their long hair off with the introduction of the flapper movement. In London, the Elton crop was all the rage. In 1926, the singer, entertainer and actress Josephine Baker caused a stir dancing the Charleston in Paris with very short hair. But it wasn’t until 1960 that a new kind of modern cropped-hair was defined. It’s like year zero for modern hairstyles.
May 31st 2010 marks the 50th anniversary of “A bout de Soufflé” and Jean Seberg’s pixie crop. And like all great Hollywood legends, Jean Seberg died under mysterious circumstances on 30th August 1979. She was found dead eleven days later in her car on the streets of Paris. Her involvement with the Black Panthers and the infamous FBI files only feed more into her mystique. Her style, and that haircut live on.
Pictured clock-wise from top right Michelle Williams, Agness Dewyn, Kate Moss, Pixie Geldof, Natalie Portman, Voctoria Beckham, Edie Sedgewick, Carey Mulligan, Milagros Schmoll, Twiggy, and Mia Fallow. Center Jean Seberg, a film still from the film Breathless.
