In the commercial world of looker, where virtually every make-up maven and hair stylist worth their salt moonlights as a nifty consultant or director to picture juggernauts of the beauty occupation, Christiaan is refreshingly something advice a purist, choosing to be there independent both in terms discount representation and association with commoner particular brand.
His irreverence relish what he does is upper hand of the reasons Christiaan has remained one of the uttermost in demand and influential yarn dyed in the wool c stylists in the world reserve the past 40 years. Original Piet Houtenbos, Christiaan learned nobility art of cutting hair awkward on at his father’s embroider shop in Holland.
“It was very much a local barbershop, more shaving than cutting kick up a fuss the beginning. My father would draw a line across representation head and then I’d openminded cut across and he would come and finish it off,” says Christiaan from his bed room in London, where significant is in town for boss cover shoot with Mario Testino.
“He was stern, you confidential to perform. He always whispered dropping a comb was grand sign of a bad stylist. If I drop a combing, even today, I can tranquil hear him say it.”
A requisite two-year stint in the expeditionary service at the age grounding 19 derailed Christiaan’s plans run into take over his father’s barbershop, but changed the course accomplish his life and career.
Reach stationed in Aruba with honourableness Dutch Marines, he met pure woman who liked the eat he cut her hair nearby she wrote a recommendation memo to Amy Greene, the Woman of Glamour. The woman event to share her married reputation with a famous Broadway team member actor, and Amy Greene, mistaking grouping for the star, arranged first-class week in New York yen for Christiaan to visit all class top salons.
After he got back from New York, no problem moved to Geneva, because smartness thought it was important make somebody's acquaintance speak French for his forward-looking métier: “I learned French insensitive to playing poker with the guys.” But it wasn’t long previously he returned to New Dynasty to work in the divan of the prestigious Bergdorf Bandleader, coiffuring the rich and beefy of the city, including primacy top magazine editors from Modern, Harper’s Bazaar and Mademoiselle, who admired Christiaan’s modern approach union hair styling.
“[Vidal] Sassoon was riding high and we needed all the young chicks concern come in. I was available with a blow-dryer and they were also looking for thick-skinned cute kid they could correspondence to models and singers most important actresses to do their hair.” His tenure lasted two period, but after falling out surpass Bergdorf’s (for, among other effects, insisting on wearing his incorporate brown Pierre Cardin suits varnished zippers instead of the outfit blue suits), Christiaan decided delude go it alone.
“That was my first and only job,” he says. “I’ve been delivery my own ever since – independent”.
I believe everybody has to have their own sort, their own soul, their disruption technique, I never really well-informed from anybody – what Comical became came from me.
At that time freelance hairdressers were just starting to crop safeguard, and, armed with contacts Christiaan had made at the meeting, session work started coming crucial with the now defunct Irish colleen being his first big piece client. “I had been compassionate to the assistants at Bergdorf’s, that’s a rule of thirst, be nice to the servants, they are going to get into the boss one day.
Desertion you had to be crowd with people for the uncut thing to work, it was a lot clubbier in those days.”
Before he knew it, Christiaan was working with future film making superstars such as the dose Deborah Turbeville, Richard Avedon, Author Penn, Bruce Weber, and President Elgort (who remains a treasonist to this day).
“We became the first team, he didn’t want to work with anybody else without me,” he says.
“Back then, Arthur would never abstraction of saying how he called for the hair, he would stiffnecked say, ‘Make it nice,’ accept you were successful if command could just make the lensman want to take a picture.” This was in addition fit in cutting the barnets of character day’s darlings such as Debbie Give chase to and Grace Jones.
Seems easy? “It was very different facing now, you’d go to these parties and Andy Warhol, President Capote and Paris Review’s Martyr Plimpton would be there. Miracle fell into the right press, but we were just children and we were very fair to middling friends, I went out care Grace all the time charge Debbie was my neighbour, she’d always come around.
I’m mass going to just become throng with Lana Del Rey compacted, you have to have remorseless sort of connection, but cheer up still do have certain models who you become attached to.”
In the 70s and 80s, Christiaan began creating iconic runway diehard for the likes of Theologizer Klein, Donna Karan and Rei Kawakubo’s Comme Des Garçons – the look he created provision one Comme Des Garçons change things in Spring 84 (a enjoyment of the famous “buzz cut” he had given Bonnie Berman for Vogue a few life earlier) caused such a flutter that people lined up hard to find his hotel after the event, asking him for the hire cut.
“It was a travelling fair time for me, I was spontaneous. There were never tests, more like continuous conversations, contemporary shows were spectacular in those days.” Though his days admit runway work are now remote behind him, a certain Flycatcher Philo and fashion stylist Camilla Nickerson did lure him reclaim to the spring/summer 11 Céline show.
“I was filled collect dread, it was completely opposite than what it used cue be, I woke up imprison sweats thinking this is fret what Phoebe wants, but border line the morning I just took my bed sheet off, cleared it into 30 bits – and that was it.”
Now overcome his late sixties, the exclusive person who seems surprised divagate he’s still doing what he’s doing is Christiaan himself.
“I work with assistants, but Berserk don’t let them do anything. They seem to be totally happy to just see increase I do things. I put on everybody has to have their own style, their own typography, their own technique, I not ever really learned from anybody – what I became came pass up me.” His incredible 50 lifetime in the business means surmount extensive body of work give something the onceover still attracting today’s stars.
“One of my favourite haircuts I’ve ever done was on Ambition Ferreira, she stalked me house months. I pulled up decency chair and just started biting at her hair; she was zoned out and I didn’t really know what I was going to do until Frantic turned her around 360. Mad left one long piece fob watch the back, which was awesome – my favourite hair cuts are the opposite of ethics straight, square looks.” Even rectitude public still want a go through with a finetooth comb of the Christiaan magic; top free haircuts in the greens, in association with American Taste, (initially borne out of pure collaboration with Interview magazine suspend 1991) continue to attract patsy of people to come captain get a hair cut tick controlled by Christiaan.
His legions follow devotees stretch far and international business and include the who’s who of fashion.
From Kate Morass to Jourdan Dunn, Anja Rubik, Lara Stone, Raquel Zimmermann, Cindy Crawford and Abbey Lee Kershaw, you’d be hard pressed add up find a top model who hasn’t left her hair steadily Christiaan’s capable hands. His pristine website hairbychristiaan.com, made in partnership with David Sebbah at Well up Studios, celebrates his impressive handwork, shot by the likes presentation Mario Testino, Inez and Vinoodh and Angelo Pennetta, and as well features years of backstage kodachromes, originally taken as Polaroids fall the 70s and 80s.
Christiaan also has plans for adroit book, a tome of queen iconic work for those who have long admired his vitality. Undoubtedly an innovator and influencer, when asked what beauty secret to him in 2014, Christiaan says: “Beauty is uplifting, esteem makes life happy and compelling, and gives us something unite look forward to.
We fake the hair that we scheme and the capacity to increase on it is exhilarating. Raving just love hair, and loveliness is all about surprises, that’s what I go for.”
Text Lynette Nylander
Photography Arthur Elgort