Monday 25 November 2019

Hair.


                                        Keith with Toyah.

I don't have much hair these days, but what's left of it, I usually cut myself (if required). It wasn't always thus.

At school it was senior boys who simply shouted "Haircut", and a trip to one of the town's barbers was obligatory.

In my city days I used to have my hair cut on Saturdays at Harrods. This may sound very fancy, but in fact it was very cheap. I imagine it was a 'lost-leader', designed to keep husbands busy whilst their wives spent their fortunes. It was a little known gem.

Later during my London days, I let it grow (as was the fashion), and kept it to a controllable shoulder length, then one day my friend Juliet introduced me to the man in the picture above. After dinner one night he pulled out from his jacket a comb and pair of scissors. I was instructed to sit near the light. 

This was the only time in my life that I've had a 'celebrity haircut'. Keith (Wainwright) was the genius behind Smile; probably the hippest of all Knightsbridge salons in the mid-60's. Everyone who was anyone went to Smile, but on this particular occasion Smile came to me.

'Keith at Smile' wasn't really a men's crimper, but he did a good job!

Above is what he looks like today; he hasn't changed that much. Cheers Keef!


19 comments:

  1. I too love hair cut being done especially in my town's barber, a friend of mine. We have to make good friendship to get good and fancy cut

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    1. My hair, these days, doesn't need too much attention. Not much I can do about it now.

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  2. Keith @ Smile and the rest of the team were our patients and I always went to Smile for my highlights and cut ...... Paul Owen used to do mine. Keith has a salon in Chelsea I think. XXXX

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    1. I expect he's pretty well retired now. I think he went into partnership with someone at Chelsea. Nice man.

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    2. He went into partnership with Richard Ward ( who I think did Catherine Middleton’s hair when she married William ) and, I think he still works in his salon in Chelsea.

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    3. Oops ... I forgot the XXXX’s !!!

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  3. My Dad used to get his haircut done at Harrods for the very same reason... cheap, but very good!

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    1. I may have sat next to him! We all felt very chic!

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  4. Great story. You moved in interesting circles when you were younger.

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    1. Living and working in Chelsea in the mid-60's was wonderful. I met interesting people almost daily.

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  5. Had my hair cut in Italy a couple of months ago. I’ll leave it now until the daffy days return. I’m down to two or three haircuts a year. It used to need twelve. My bro is like you. Doesn’t have much and cuts his own. Missed your Pantomime post yesterday but it’s a real hoot. “Andrew was wonderful rescuing those paintings” HM Windsor Castle fire quote. Title: Puss in Falkland boots.

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    1. I've never been brave enough to have my hair cut 'abroad'. I can imagine things going wrong!

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    2. A stockbroker colleague of mine had his hair cut by the side of a road somewhere in Sardinia where a barber was plying his trade to passing motorists.

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    3. He must have been desperate!

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  6. I always remember my barber when I started work saying that a gentleman should never look as though his hair had just been cut. He also used to strop my cutthroats and mend umbrellas.

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    Replies
    1. He was right. A light, regular, trim is much better.

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