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It was one of those perfect days...the kind of day I walk thru the streets of Gotham singing Mary J Blige... "I wouldn't change my life...my life's just fine!!" The weather was gorgeous and I had spent the afternoon at the salon in Patricia Field's Bowery Street boutique interviewing and observing uber-talented hairstylist Flame. It was one of those full circle moments...
"Hair style is the final tip-off whether or not a woman really knows herself." ~Hubert de Givenchy, Vogue, July 1985
It was one of those perfect days...the kind of day I walk thru the streets of Gotham singing Mary J Blige... "I wouldn't change my life...my life's just fine!!" The weather was gorgeous and I had spent the afternoon at the salon in Patricia Field's Bowery Street boutique interviewing and observing uber-talented hairstylist Flame. It was one of those full circle moments...
Years ago when I was a Glamour Whore rookie taking classes at F.I.T I had some very fabulous friends with close ties to the iconic boutique. Thanks to them I spent many a afternoon wandering around, trying on and buying fashions I would never have been able to obtain in Connecticut.
I remember a particular moment... I was sitting in the chair at the salon having my hair cut and highlighted in a style that was deliciously more dramatic than any style I had rocked before and I was observing the staff...with their colorful hair and fierce makeup and I remember thinking "Fuck fashion public relations, I want to make people GORGEOUS" I knew then and there I was going to be a makeup artist which segued into writing and years later I was back at Pat's interviewing an amazing stylist... Life is good.
Although he started doing hair at the tender age of 13, Flame wasn't working at Patricia Fields back then but when a friend of mine asked me about the salon I highly recommended it knowing Pat only employs the very best. Needless to say she LOVED the result, she said a stylist named Flame was responsible for her gorgeous mane makeover. The following week another friend asked for a great place for a pre-vacation cut and color. I confidently recommended Flame. The result? She had the best hair in all of Hawaii! She looked amazing. She had informed him of my recommendation and told him about the blog...which lead to a Facebook friend request that to a interview.
I arrived for the interview excited to meet this Yonkers raised (via Equador) rising star and left a groupie... I was lucky enough to observe him with a client from start to finish and the boy has skills!!!! What I really love about him is that besides his skills he's also so much fun to be around and his clients LOVE him, as they should because he really goes above and beyond for them...
The Interview:
GH: Did you have an inspiration, someone who made you want to do hair?
Flame: Jem and The Holograms inspired me to color barbie doll hair funky colors with food coloring and sharpies.
I would do different streaks of colors and get pretty creative with it but I didnt start doing human hair till 12 or 13 when i discovered bleach and manic panic. my first color was rose red and red has been my favorite hair color ever since.
as far as cutting, i was never happy with the way my hair came out when I went to a shop to do it . I would always come out with a shitty mushroom cut so in frustration i started taking clippers and scissors to my own hair and learned basically though trial and error but by the time I started cutting other people hair I was a pro! lol! it was a hell of a lot easier too! with someone else I could actually see what I was doing and not just going by feel like a blind man! lol!
GH: Do you have a hair icon?
Flame: Patricia Field , duh!
GH: Who do you think has the best hair/fashion/beauty style right now?
Flame: ME! im not much of a trend chaser or follower and prefer to see myself more as a trendsetter..
and I am sooo glad the 80's are back! i never fully stopped doing the tri colored hair and mohawks and spikes on myself and finally after 20 years instead of people on the street making fun of me , im getting complimented! hahahha! and same goes to clothes and fashion. ive always been a fan of loud bright layers of colors and interesting strong bold shapes, asymetry etc .. love it!
GH: Fantasy client?
Flame: The client that loves to or is not afraid to change their look on a regular basis! hair is so easy to manipulate . color fades out, cuts grow out, have fun with it!
im lucky to have a ton of great clients like that, who may have started out weary but got braver as they noticed me sporting a different cut/color/style each and every time they would come in!
GH: Favorite product? Why?
Flame: It really depends on what i am trying to achieve. im really a product whore.
to rock the hawk fanned up i use hair spray. on a warm summer day i like to slick it back with a hair gel. if i wanna wear it messy and shaggy in my face ill use a wax. if i just want it natural and moisturized ill use a hair oil.
the sky is really the limit . same goes for my clients . the product depends on the style we are shooting for that particular day : )
its just a matter of knowing what type of gel/wax/spray/oil etc to use and this varies from person to person. i make sure to educate my clients on what will work well for them and why.
GH: In your opinion what is the worst hair faux pas? For example something that makes you cringe when you see it on the street...like a mullet...lol
Flame: A young man with a shaved head, what a waste ! all the possibilities that could be achieved! it breaks my heart : (
GH: Do you think NYC is a blond, brunette, or redhead?
Flame: Dude, this is nyc, why would you draw the line at redhead?!!
GH: Do you think men receive too little attention when it comes to hair/grooming?
Flame: Not the ones I treat but its quite possible
GH: What's your opinion on the controversial lace front wigs?
Flame: Its a godsend to trannies and drag queens everywhere! I own like 5 myself! and I wear them well!
GH: Where would like to be career wise in 5 years?
Flame: I plan on having Flame become a household name. would love to be doing more celebrity hair, runway, print, tv, movies. maybe have my own show on the fashion network or logo!
move over Tabatha, make way for FLAMES's SALON TAKEOVER, bitch!
He's so fucking fabulous...
To book an appointment call 212-966-4066
See Flame in action...
Kisses Bitches...
Kisses Bitches...
Glamour Whore...xoxo
