| Laurent D - Hollywood Hair Sultan |
| Karen Marie Shelton |
| Revised Date: 09/02/07- Original Publication Date: 09/08/2005 |
Introduction
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|
David Charvet
&
Laurent DuFourg |
|
DailyCeleb.com - All rights reserved. |
When the hair gods decided
to bestow on me the good fortune of interviewing
celebrity hairdresser, Laurent Dufourg,
known by his many celebrity clients as Laurent D, I was
beyond psyched. I’ve been following the grand master’s
celebrity styles for many years with great admiration.
When the time came for my appointment, I was definitely
nervous and certainly star struck.
After all, Laurent D
is the man that is famous for taking blonde goddess Gwyneth Paltrow from long to pixie short and for weaving
a dizzying array of sizzling new looks for the likes of
Tea Leoni, Teri Hatcher, Sharon
Stone, Uma Thurman, Johnny Depp, the Hilton Sisters and
scores of other “names.”
One of the world’s most famous hairdressers, Laurent is
full of warmth, charm and kindness. Punctuating many of
his statements with “darling” I felt completely at ease
with this famous hair icon, as if I had known him for
years.
Laurent keeps his work in proper perspective. Laurent
proclaims in his melodic French accented voice that
“it’s all about his clients, no matter who they are, and
not about him.”
Whether Laurent is clipping the locks of
a harried hausfrau that saved for one year for the
privilege of sitting in his chair or the latest “It”
girl, this Sultan of Snip puts total focus on the person
blessed with his appointment.
If anything, Laurent understands that the hausfrau needs
him more than his celebrity protégés like Sharon, Paris
and Uma “who always look amazing, no matter what.” For
him, it is pure joy to “turn a woman that struggles
daily to look good, into a person who leaves his chair
feeling totally beautiful.”
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Tea Leoni &
Laurent DuFourg |
|
DailyCeleb.com - All rights reserved. |
Life Altering Events
Ironically the world of hairdressing wasn’t the first
place Laurent
first set his long term sights. Forming a “very
successful” band with
his brother, Laurent was literally thrust behind the
scenes of a hair
show while sitting perched atop his drummer’s platform
on a balmy
summer evening.
What started as “just another gig
playing live music at
a local show” for Laurent and the much-in-demand band,
ultimately
changed his life forever.
From his
elevated drummer’s stool he could peek behind the
curtains and watch the hairdressers as they “magically”
styled the model’s tresses. From that day forward he was
completely hooked. Taking a job at a local hairdressing
salon to make “after school money” he fell “madly in
love with the business”—and his fate in the hair world
was sealed.
Juggling Celebrity
Heads
So how
does a man with a stable of today’s best and brightest
celebrity followers juggle them during the busy award’s
season, when stars often want to all be ready “at the
same time?” It’s quite simple, as Laurent explained
“whoever books first wins.” Yes, even those unknown
starlets-on-the-rise that want eye-popping shimmering
tresses for that first red carpet stroll can sneak to
the front of Laurent’s famous line by being the early
bird that snares the hairdresser’s undivided time and
magnificent attention.
Can Laurent be persuaded to switch celebrity heads at
the last minute? “Absolutely not,” confided Laurent. He
has “been there and done that and will never go there
again.” Recounting a near disastrous experience from
some years ago, Laurent confided that somehow he had
wound up, due to unusual circumstances, “scheduled to do
two celebrities on the same day for a major LA awards
show.”
As the day played out, “the first actress, a
brand new client, was horribly late for her
appointment,” forcing Laurent to “cut it extremely close
for his appointment with the
second celebrity, a long time valued client.”
An
extremely loyal man, Laurent would never dream of ever
causing any of his celebrities even the slightest tidbit
of red carpet trauma.
After that hair raising experience
where a trusted relationship might have been torpedoed
by time mismanagement, Laurent swore he would never do
more than one head for any major event. Period.
Does he ever stroll the red carpet with his favorite
clients? Yes, he
often does. However, his utmost concern is that “the
very last thing that happens before his famous clients
gingerly climb into their limos is to make sure that
every single strand is in perfect placement.”
As he pointed out, “the history of his work for every
award show
season will play out over and over again in the media as
celebrity red carpet retrospectives are rolled.”
In some
cases, his work adorning the heads of major stars like
his Gwyneth or Sharon are replayed in the press for many
years. He pointed out that “over the years he has
created at least six major new looks for Uma” which are
constantly referenced by celebrity watchers.
Fear Factors
There are
many secrets to Laurent’s spectacular success and
eternal popularity. One of his expressed concerns is
having one of his clients on the “worst coiffed” lists
of Joan and Melissa Rivers or other talking carpet
heads. Of course even the very best hair plans can go
awry but Laurent believes “the red carpet is not the
place” to make a major departure from a celebrity’s
“customary hairstyle.”
Those celebrities that are sashaying down those various
runways “work hard all year to look beautiful” so they
“have to look their very best.”
Working closely with the
celebrity stylist that architects the celebrity’s total
look from gown to accessories, Laurent strives to work
within the “total team” framework creating “hairstyles
that
enhance rather than detract” from the overall image that
ties together “the gown, the jewels, the shoes and the
accessories.”
So what
if one of his famous clients wants him to do something
totally crazy that might risk that dreaded “what did
they do to their hair” shocked comment from Joan?
He
pauses, “of course the client should always look
amazing— but I would do my best to talk everything
through with them to make sure that any hairstyle they
wanted to wear would not cause them any type of media
regrets or embarrassment.”
Why, you might ask, would any hairdresser coif their
stars in anything even remotely risky? “
There are a lot
of great hairdressers out there, but some want to make a
name for themselves by creating Red Carpet buzz for
their hairstyles.” What better place to garner instant
awareness than when a celebrity strolls by in new
hairstyle.
Unfortunately, while the rewards can be
great, the flops can be just as deadly. Laurent
understands that the hair designs that he creates “are
not about him or advertising his skills, but about
showcasing the stars.”
The Beautiful Bridgette Bardot
By the
time he was 20, Laurent was dispatched from Paris to the
South of France to work with his first “celebrity” who
just happened to be blonde bombshell Bridgette Bardot.
Laurent confessed to being “very excited” and a “little
in awe” of the famous movie star, who arrived with a
complete entourage.
Laurent set the famous blonde’s hair
on “lots of big rollers.” He didn’t “tease her hair”
which was popular at the time, but instead “styled her
strands by brushing them into a soft, shiny, sexy look”
that the actress “really liked and looked amazing.”
Shortly after his encounter with Ms. Bardot, Laurent
opened his first salon in his hometown where his “family
still resides to this day in the home where Laurent grew
up.”
Eventually the entrepreneurial hair wizard made his
way to Costa del Sol on the Spanish Riviera, where he
proceeded to open two salons which immediately became
popular with the rich and famous jet-setters that
vacationed in the gorgeous coastal area.
Shannon Doherty & The Melrose Place Cast
After enjoying a beautiful and successful life working
in his salon in the Spanish resort town, where he met
his lovely and multi-talented “wonder woman” wife
Fabienne, Laurent was invited to visit a business
partner who had just moved to Los Angeles.
Always the
adventurer, Laurent popped in for what he thought would
be “a brief stay.” Instead, he discovered “a fabulous
new world of hair opportunities” and decided to embark
on a grand adventure.
In 1979 Laurent settled in Los
Angeles where he partnered with another big name
hairdresser and focused on creating hairstyles in the
expanding movie industry.
The strand maestro’s first celebrity client in LA “was
Shannon
Doherty,” who was starring in the TV hit series 90210.
Shannon, who is still his client to this day, provided
referrals that resulted in him eventually becoming the
“head hairdresser for the entire cast of Melrose Place.”
The notable coiffure designer reminisced about
collaborating with “Melrose alums such as Josie Bissett
and Lisa
Rinna,” to name just a few of the star studded cast.
Uma & The Coat Check Closet
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Uma Thurman
2006 Vanity Fair Oscar Party
03-05-06 |
|
DailyCeleb.com
All Rights Reserved |
Working with celebrities whose lives are often
unpredictable, madcap and somewhat chaotic, Laurent is
used to being spontaneous with his clients.
When asked
to share one of the most unusual places he has coiffed a
celebrity, he laughed and mentioned the time that he and Uma, who was the face of
Lancôme at the time, were
rushing from the London Batman premiere to a late night
meeting at a luxurious hotel with world
famous design guru, Tom Ford.
Laurent explained that Uma’s hair was in an updo, but needed a different look
for meeting with the famed designer.
Not having anywhere else to go, Laurent and Uma snuck
into the coat check room of the exotic hotel where they
both “plopped down on the floor to work on Uma’s
tresses.”
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Uma Thurman
2006 Vanity Fair Oscar Party
03-05-06 |
|
DailyCeleb.com
All Rights Reserved |
He laughed and said because it was “so last
minute and time was of the essence” he had “neglected to
bring any of his styling tools with him.”
Being
resourceful, he “scrounged around and luckily happened
upon a hair brush” he “borrowed” to quickly smooth out Uma’s original updo into a sizzling style for her very
important meeting. He described how he “quickly popped
out all the pins and
brushed her strands into a brand new look in mere
minutes.”
Once he was finished, he returned the brush to
where he had “discovered” it and Uma looked absolutely
breathtaking.
Suffice it to say that the owner of the brush might be
shocked to
discover that a world famous hairdresser used the brush
on a superstar for a meet and greet with a Gucci legend.
Tea In The Limo
His need for speed came in handy when he was
accompanying his dear friend and long time client, Ta
Leoni (Mrs. David Duchoveny) to a live appearance on The
View.
Horrendous traffic and a confused limo driver were
running down the clock. With less than 12 minutes to air
time as the beautiful blonde star struggled to change
her clothes in the careening limo, Laurent worked on
removing her hot rollers and arranging her hair into a
TV appearance worthy coif.
So how did that all turn out? Tea made it just in time
for her
appearance and “her hair looked amazing” courtesy of
Laurent’s ability to calmly juggle hot rollers, brushes
and styling products, whipping up a tress masterpiece.
Laurent has been quoted in previous interviews saying
that “he prefers lighter locks on Ta because they look
better with her blue eyes and fair skin.” Regardless, of
his own thoughts, Laurent only provides the cutting and
styling duties, letting someone else provide the hair
colors.
Noted for creating her boyishly pixie style for her
noted role in
Jurassic Park III, Laurent designed a very short,
slightly mused but
fetchingly feminine razored look complete with full and
sexy bangs.
Laurent also reported that he recently “did a whole new
look for Tea,” who just finished doing some movies
“requiring her to have a specific color, length and
style.”
Tea’s famous husband, David Duchoveny and her two
adorable children all visit the Los Angeles Prive salon
on a regular basis. It is obvious from his commentary
that Laurent considers Ta and her lovely family to be
part of his extended family. Laurent mentioned that he
recently cut Madelaine West’s hair (Tea’s daughter) into
a “very cool rock and roll style” and that she looked
“so cute, really stunning.”
Curly Girl Debra Messing
While Laurent often vacations with many of his famous
clientele, he
also will travel with them for major appearances that
might take place outside of his LA or New York home
bases. He mentioned that he had “flown with Debra
Messing” to Chicago for her appearance on Oprah so that
he could personally coif her famous ringlets. And while
he loves working with Debra, he really enjoys traveling
with her, recently joining her again to style her locks
for the Fall TV season parties and media events.
Debra is the poster child for the ultimate in curls, so
we had to ask
if her tresses pose any challenges. Of course not.
Laurent “loves to
cut naturally curly hair when it is bone dry.”
For him,
curly hair is
not any specific “technique” or “special cutting
method.” After all,
Laurent believes that every person has a very “unique
pattern of curls” that requires his “free style cutting
method.”
Depending on the way that the curls lay and
grow, Laurent may cut “more on one side than the other.”
Bottom line, the hair maestro gets up close and personal
with the curls and applies his unique cutting method
appropriately.
Laurent is a big fan of using curling irons in two or
three different
sizes to create a unique, curly look. When creating long
lasting curls, he starts with Prive Root Amplifier on
newly washed strands. He dries with a blow dryer and
brush and then curls individual sections with his
curling irons. After he creates each new ringlet, he
wraps them around his finger to form and then pins to
the scalp to cool. After all the curls are cool, he
carefully removes them and sprays with Prive Hairspray.
He uses his fingers to tousle for a soft, seductive,
touchable look.
Debra uses Laurent’s products to help enhance her
spectacular curls. She loves the Prive Daily Shampoo and
Conditioner, the Curl Activating Creme, Relaxing Gel,
Shine Serum and Styling Brilliance.
Secrets For Today’s Woman
For the millions of Americans that can’t hop a jet to
New York or Los Angeles to consult with the hair
maestro, what advice would he give them about their
strands? Quite simply, he said “always get the very best
haircut you can afford from the best hairdresser in
town, since that is the basic foundation.” Secondly,
“use the very best products that your budget can
support, because the difference between hair that looks
okay and hair that looks great is the products that are
used.”
To look great, he continued, “doesn’t mean you
have to only go to celebrity hairdressers or spend a
huge fortune.” There are lots of very talented
hairdressers out there. All it takes is spending the
time to find one in your area that will do a great job
for you and your hair.
Laurent’s Signature Hairstyles
So what exactly is Laurent’s signature style? “Sexy,
soft hair.” He
loves to “create cuts and styles that have matured
perfectly” to the point where the style looks “almost
ready for another haircut.” You know, those two or three
weeks when your hair is just fabulous! While he likes
“edgy and very rock and roll,” he believes that sexy and
soft need to be part of the equation. “Shiny, seductive
and pretty” are also words that Laurent resonates with.
He is also a fan of “bangs” when appropriate. Why? They
soften and can be very sexy when worn as a seductive
veil.
Men, Women, Children
Unlike some other celebrity hairdressers, Laurent does
not limit his
clientele in any way. He works equally with male and
female stars. A good case in point was his recent
Academy Awards transformation of Johnny Depp, who he
reported he has “coiffed for the past two years for the
Oscars.”
For the most recent awards Laurent took Johnny, who came
to Laurent’s home, from longer tresses to a very sleek,
shoulder-length cut that was fantastic. After initially
cutting several inches from Johnny’s strands, they took
a break and “had a little lunch.”
Studying Johnny
closely, Laurent reported that he “felt he needed to
take a little more off” and set back to work trimming a
tiny bit more. He then flat-ironed Johnny’s newly shorn
strands to give them that shiny, sleek and sexy flow.
When Laurent was finally satisfied with his work for
Johnny, he did the tresses of Johnny’s entire family.
Besides being a fan of Laurent’s cutting and styling
expertise, Johnny is a fan of the Laurent’s product line
named after the salon. Johnny uses the Privé Grooming
Creme, Sculpting Pomade and Styling Brilliance.
Hair Accessories
Since I am personally obsessed with hair accessories, I
was thrilled to find out that Laurent “loves to use
them” because the right hair
accessories can add instant glamour to a gorgeous style.
When he coiffed “Joely Fisher for her role as Dr. Brenda
Bradford in
1999’s Inspector Gadget movie,” he had to create a
“funny look for her tresses” which he accomplished using
“a lot of butterflies all over her head.” He also hooked
up Paris Hilton with “Michelle Roy butterflies and silk
flowers.”
Laurent noted that for months “Paris rarely appeared
anywhere in public without either Michelle Roy butterfly
or silk flower clips.” Laurent “loves all of Michelle’s
accessories” and that they are very popular with his
clients.
Laurent adores “headbands of all kinds for all types of
hair because they can dress up any length or texture of
hair” as well as “bobby pins that are showing as
ornaments.” He especially likes “the look of five or six
bobby pins in a contrasting color from the hair hue”
grouped together along the bangs.
The Privé Salons
After partnering for many years, in 1995 Laurent opened
his very own salon, named Privé which means “private” in
French. The plush salon, divinely designed and furnished
with the help of his brilliant wife, was located in
Beverly Hills.
The wild success of Privé motivated
Laurent to spread his wings and open the New York salon
in the fabulous SoHo Grand Hotel. Because Laurent had
scores of devoted customers on both coasts, he committed
to a regular schedule of holding court in both salons.
Although Laurent has a charming gift of gab when it
relates to
hairstyles, textures and new looks of his celebrity
clientele, he admirably and staunchly subscribes to the hairdresser
creed of absolute discretion when it comes to his
client’s private lives.
While Laurent would be most
honored to discuss the time that he chopped all of
Gwyneth Paltrow’s hair off (for a movie role) and might
throw in the tidbit that “Brad Pitt came to the salon to
watch the transformation,” that is all he will say
regarding their relationship.
For Laurent, any information that might harm his clients
in any way is regarded as the “holiest of holy” and
never divulged. This is admirable since Laurent jets
back and forth between two cities where people just love
to leak
any and all celebrity information.
Laurent admits that he actually enjoys his travel time
between coasts because it affords him the down time to
catch up on “all his reading.”
Armed and overflowing
with the latest fashion, beauty and celebrity rags,
Laurent admits that he “settles in on his long flights
to catch up on all the coverage of the hairstyles of his
clients,’’ taking notes. He continued “maybe their hair
color is too bright, too light or too dark under the
lights or possibly their bangs need to be softer or
fuller” or a myriad of other strand possibilities.
Prive Product Line
When creating his sizzling hot Prive line, he pointed
out that it has
always been “his philosophy to keep things as simple as
possible
because people are too busy to fiddle around” with
complicated hair care systems. The key to all of the
products is that they are super easy to use.”
Obviously his long term clients are huge fans of the
line. Teri
Hatcher loves the Curl Activating Crème, Styling
Brilliance, Grooming Crème, Daily Shampoo and
Conditioner and the Leave-in Treatment. Ta prefers
Reparative Shampoo and Conditioner, Root Amplifier, Firm
Hold Hairspray and Styling Brilliance.
Summary
One of the world’s most famous hairdressers, Laurent is
full of warmth, charm and kindness. Punctuating many of
his statements with “darling” I felt completely at ease
with this famous hair icon, as if I had known him for
years.
Laurent keeps his work in proper perspective. Laurent
proclaims in his melodic French accented voice that
“it’s all about his clients, no matter who they are, and
not about him.”
Whether Laurent is clipping the locks of
a harried hausfrau that saved for one year for the
privilege of sitting in his chair or the latest “It”
girl, this Sultan of Snip puts total focus on the person
blessed with his appointment. |