Vidal Sassoon – the snipper’s snipper is enjoying a bit of spotlight time just now because an absolutely-brills-sounding film; Vidal Sassoon: The Movie (Umm we think they could have spent a bit more time thinking up the title though) has just been shown at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.
 
Mr Sassoon was one of the key figures of the swinging Sixties in London; (he did for girls’ hair what Mary Quant did for their pins with her miniskirts) and he must have absolutely squillions of naughty stories from back in the day. He’s also something of a living legend – now 82 (apparently a fitness and yoga devotee) and still working on projects such as a US hairdressing talent show called Shear Genius as well as having founded a HAIR EMPIRE of products and salons.

Vidal Sassoon cutting designer Mary Quant's hair

He’s given an interview where he talks about ‘creating’ the bob – the only style for hipsters in the Sixties. “[Actress] Nancy Kwan came to London and she had four feet of hair. Her director said 'I want you to give her one of your new looks, starting from scratch'. She was one of the most beautiful girls so you couldn't go wrong unless your scissors slipped. Fortuitously, she was half-Caucasian, half-Chinese so her hair was much stronger and kept its shape beautifully. She was a knockout girl and couldn't have been nicer”.
 
He also mentions that he LOVES Anna Wintour’s style; although he’s never met her.  “I would love to talk to her about it, but I can't just call and say 'I love the way you're wearing my hair'”.

Her September Issue counterpart, however, is more familiar to Sassoon; “Grace Coddington was my top model in London. I did the 5-Point cut on Grace. We worked in Paris together, and so many other places. She's gone on to become a big star, which is lovely”.

If all the name dropping talk of fashwan fabulousness isn’t urging you to immediately book some tickets, just remember that no documentary (especially not one about the fashion world) ever gets made without a healthy dose of drama and even the odd tantrum. Vidal’s passionate side is shown clearly in the film. He comments;
 
“I was crazy, I was driven. In one moment of the movie, talking to the different stylists who worked with me, one young man says '[Vidal] was absolutely crazy, he had so much stamina he could work half the night'. And I liked that. I'm doing my autobiography and the two together have worked so well, bringing back the memory of what actually did happen”.

Cooo-well. We cannot wait to watch the film (And then read the book as well!)

-Naomi Attwood