Vidal Sassoon Dies But His Cuts Live On. A Look At The Hair Master's Muses And Styles.

above: Vidal Sassoon with some of his models donning his famous cuts

"My idea was to cut shape into the hair, to use it like fabric and take away everything that was superfluous." - Vidal Sassoon

Legendary Hair Stylist Vidal Sassoon has passed away at the age of 84 at his Mullholland Estate in Los Angeles, after a rumored battle with Leukemia.



He changed the lives and looks of women everywhere with his 1960's geometric cuts that allowed women to spend less time on their appearance and still look fabulous.


above: Sassoon cuts Mia Farrow's Hair for her role in Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby

He shocked the world when he chopped off actress Mia Farrow's hair in 1967 for the movie Rosemary's Baby and gave her the pixie still worn by many actresses today such as Natalie Portman, Emma Watson, Carey Mulligan, Gennifer Goodwin, Alyssa Milano and Victoria Beckham:



With muses like Vogue editor Grace Coddington, Fashion designer Mary Quant, 60's Model Twiggy, Actresses Mia Farrow, Nancy Kwan, Carol Channing, and more, his status grew to legendary proportions.

With Carol Channing:

With Mia Farrow:

With Mary Quant:

With Grace Coddington:


And a few famous women sporting his cuts:

Peggy Moffitt:

Twiggy:

Mia Farrow:

Grace Coddington:


The Pixie Cut, the Five Point Bob, The Box Bob, The Inverted Bob, the Long Bob, The Asymmetrical Bob, The Quiff Bob, The Acute Angle cut are just a few of the styles he made famous and are still popular today.

The Quiff Bob:

The Five Point Bob:


The Acute Angle Cut:

The Inverted Bob:

The Asymmetrical Bob:


The Box Bob:

The Long Inverted Bob:

The Long Bob:


Vidal Sassoon continues to have a profound influence on hairstyles and hair dressers and his work will live on forever. His legacy includes, in addition to the haircuts, a full line of Vidal Sassoon products, an autobiography and a book.

The Sober Scoop Behind That Alcohol Spray That Gets You Instantly Drunk.

The news and blogosphere has been buzzing (pardon the pun) about a new spray that gets you instantaneously drunk created by Philippe Stark and creator of culinary aerosols, David Edwards of Le Laboratoire (and the man behind Aeroshots).



The product, WA|HH Quantum Sensations, is two flavored (Flash and Demon) mini sprays in cartridges which hold 2 milliliters of liquid. When sprayed, they deliver 20-25 actuations that provide an effect equivalent to a volume 1000 times its amount. WA|HH Quantum Sensations can be enjoyed as a spray directly into the mouth or onto foods of all kinds.



But the kids clamoring to find the product online (as witnessed by the numerous requests on their Facebook page) will be disappointed to learn that the effect only lasts a second and wears off immediately. The idea is to experience the sensorial pleasure much like an emotion. All that lingers is taste and a memory of the sensation.

“What happens with the WA|HH? I take my WA|HH and with a single spray I feel a touch of euphoria thanks to an infinitesimal dose, a thousand times less than a glass of alcohol. The WA|HH is a modern and intelligent alternative aligned with our own evolution, as one of the clear signs of part of the intelligent human production is dematerialization”. -- Philippe Starck


above left: Philippe Starck and above right, David Edwards

“WAHH Quantum Sensations contains in each quantum of flavor just 2 ml of liquid, and yet produces 20-25 actuations of vaporous sensation. It’s ability to deliver flavor with each actuation that grows in intensity with the vapor cloud of millions of tiny micro-droplets makes WAHH an exciting food spray for the future”. -- David Edwards




At the conclusion of its 14th experiment, Le Laboratoire presents the exhibition WA|HH, dedicated to the new mini spray of flavor WA|HH Quantum Sensations invented by Philippe Starck and David Edwards. An invitation to experience an explosion of culinary sensation in the smallest imaginable form.



At the origin of the experiment: an encounter. That of Philippe Starck, creator of international renown and David Edwards, founder of Le Laboratoire, Harvard Professor, and creator of the new field of aerosol cuisine. Their commonality? The re-invention of daily experience. Their exploratory ground? The immateriality of taste and texture. From their encounter comes WA|HH Quantum Sensations, a mini spray of flavor that, while extremely small (each cartridge holds 2 milliliters of liquid), delivers 20-25 actuations that provide a gustatory and olfactive effect equivalent to a volume 1000 times as voluminous. WA|HH Quantum Sensations can be enjoyed as a spray directly into the mouth or onto foods of all kinds.

The Briefest Light-Headedness
Imagine the possibility of enjoying the pleasure of alcohol without worrying about negative consequences, to have the sensation of light-headedness, without the risk of losing your senses, not to say utter drunkenness. To have the sensorial pleasure of alcohol without posing a threat to your health. This is the potential of WA|HH Quantum Sensations. The capacity to liberate alcohol flavors and transient vapor with minute quantities of alcohol in the form of tiny micro-particles*. The vapor from a single actuation produces a slight light-headedness, but it passes almost immediately. Taste and memory of an intense sensation remain. The quantity of alcohol that enters the body, what we call a quantum, is so small that the effects of WA|HH Quantum Sensations are transient, like an emotion.




WA|HH Flash Quantum

Above: When freshness offers itself as a revivifying breath, the taste buds reanimate our senses. WA|HH Flash Quantum offers a tonic flavor for a strong and instantaneous sensation. Vaporized directly the mouth, the flavors are freed on the pallet and leave a invigorating and immediate impression. Surprise guaranteed.

WA|HH Demon Quantum

above: Spice up your life? Give an instant sting for a moment of dazzling pleasure? WA|HH Demon Quantum wakes the senses up and kindles the spirit. With its spicy, wooded and slightly fruity flavors, WA|HH Demon Quantum guarantees a surprising feeling of euphoria. Ideal to vaporize on salty or sweet foods alike, WA|HH Demon Quantum offers a truly sensory exploration.

A Sensorial Exploration
Among the videos, images and scientific explanations, the exhibition of the two first flavors of the series, WA|HH Flash Quantum and WA|HH Demon Quantum, invite the visitor to powerful and distinctive sensations. Tested by spraying directly into the mouth or onto sweet and salty bites of food (to experience in the Showroom or at the Ephemeral Bar), the surprise is gripping. As Philippe Starck says - “Everyone has an occasional need of light-headedness, distraction, and another place … But our societies and codes of amusement have led to the over-consumption of alcoholic beverages as a kind of social placebo. The consequences are too familiar. With David Edwards, we asked ourselves whether we might provide the same agreeable sensation as comes with a sip of alcohol without running the risk of drunkenness. And WA|HH was born. Accent life with a magic wand, that was our desire. A spray of WA|HH and the shock is immediate, like a sensorial alarm”.

* An actuation delivers approximately 0.075 ml of alcohol liquid in the form of micro particles. This ‘quantum of alcohol’ is far too small to stimulate drunkenness, being nearly 1000 times smaller than a shot of alcohol (a shot contains approximately 40-60 ml). It would therefore take several hundreds of actuations of WAHH Quantum Sensations to deliver the alcohol content to the body of a standard glass of alcohol.



photos courtesy of Le Laboratoire and AFP PHOTO/Franck Fife

You can try it at the Food Lab in Paris

Sneak Peek At Armani's Costume Designs For Lady Gaga and Her Upcoming Asian Tour.

Giorgio Armani is pleased to be collaborating once again with Lady Gaga. The designer has created a select number of looks for the artist’s Born This Way Ball tour, which kicks off in Seoul on April 27th. The Asian tour will then move to Hong Kong (May 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th), Tokyo (May 10th), and Singapore (May 28th). The tour will culminate with performances in Australia and New Zealand.



The custom Giorgio Armani wardrobe created for Lady Gaga is characterized by extreme forms and futuristic materials – latex, metal, studs, PVC – crafted with couture savoir-faire. Each outfit is completed with detailed, other-worldly accessories.



The first design includes a black bodice made of tubular PVC elements connected with metal studs, with mirrored metal inserts to define a curvaceous design. The ensemble is highlighted by a matching headpiece, robotic thigh-high boots, and exaggerated gloves ending in mirrored nails.



Another look is created via a shiny black grid-patterned PVC bodice with matching headpiece and embroidered ankle boots. Highlights include shoulders outlined by a play of sharp spikes, black Swarovski jet crystals and flowing fringe, creating a moving architecture.




On the third black bodice, transparent Plexiglas, black crystals and luminous studs create a Cubist composition of abstract guitars. The matching headpiece follows in the shape of a keyboard; the boots are black vinyl.




The final design is a long tunic with leg-o-mutton sleeves made of skin-toned latex. Luminous PVC elements create flashes of synthetic light inside the garment. The same avant-garde lighting is featured on the triangle decorating the chest, on the headpiece, and on the platform of the matching latex ankle boots.




“Collaborating with Lady Gaga is always an exciting experience for me. I admire the way she uses fashion as a scenic element and as a means to build a character," says Giorgio Armani."She is an artist of many talents and great intelligence. Creating stage costumes for her is a stimulating and creative exercise."

Giorgio Armani began his collaboration with Lady Gaga on the occasion of the 2010 Grammy Awards ceremony, when the artist wore a series of outfits specially designed for her. Subsequently, he dressed her in select looks for the Monster Ball tour in 2010, as well as for a number of red carpet events and other special occasions.

all images and information courtesy of Giorgio Armani

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