Expert Hair Stylist Allison Woodruff of Marie Robinson Salon is always game for a global adventure. Inspired by a natural hunger for travel, she sat down to speak with us at her home in Williamsburg, Brooklyn  about her favorite travel destinations, what it’s like to catch a glimpse of George Clooney’s breathtaking Villa in Lake Como and why French women really are the most beautiful creatures on earth!

When introduced to Hair Stylist Allison Woodruff from Marie Robinson Salon five years ago, it was instantly known she was someone special. Woodruff had given me my Zooey Deschanel bangs. Complete with cute little side hairs and layers for a more perfect pony tail than Taylor Swift’s. Woodruff had a knack for listening and understanding exactly what her clients wanted. In fact, all the stylists at Marie Robinson Salon did. What made the salon so special since it’s opening in the Flatiron District is that although it might be an A-List Celebrity hair salon it doesn’t feel like one. “It feels more like fun than work. There’s no competition here and everyone meshes so well together”, says Woodruff.  A refreshing quality in the beauty industry considering hairdressers are known for their competitive edge. Owner Marie Robinson is one of the most down- to-earth women you’ll ever meet and crafted her salon space to be the same way.  It’s inviting beyond belief with high ceilings, bright lights and the most comfortable gray love seats you’ll ever sit in. Marie has given notable names like Michelle Williams her signature blonde bob for her Marilyn Monroe role in “My Week With Marilyn”. The stylists at the salon have also done extensive Red Carpet work on  Anne Hathaway, Rose Byrne and Ashley Olsen.  It’s almost impossible sometimes to get an appointment with Woodruff  because of her constant traveling opportunities. How lovely it was for her to open up to us at S&L !  - Nadia Elsayed

1. What are the most fascinating places you’ve traveled to for work, Allison? Marie Robinson Salon is an amazing place in New York City that’s provided you with lots of great opportunities to travel and work with some of the most talented people.

This past November I took my first trip to the Middle East. A small team from Marie Robinson joined forces with Belle Femme Salon in Dubai. I wasn’t totally sure what to expect though I had some idea from colleagues who had traveled there for business.I found Dubai to be a strangely familiar “sister” city to the cities of the States – a little LA sprawl, a little Miami Beach, some Vegas glitz and of course the rival NYC skyscrapers.All along the street of our hotel were giant posters advertising the newly opened “GREAT HAPPINESS PLACE” otherwise known as IHOP. Each morning on our way to the salon we would pass hoards of women in their black hijabs and oversized sunglasses chatting energetically over towers of golden pancakes.

In March I flew to London to do my long time client’s hair for her wedding. She had been with her boyfriend for 14 years before he popped the question. Since she had waited so patiently they planned an intimate yet all out opulent wedding celebration. This was my first trip to London and I couldn’t have been more excited when she told me that the rehearsal dinner would be held in The Tower of London. I could never have imagined myself sipping champagne in the same rooms that held and executed Anne Boleyn let alone housed the Crown Jewels. My favorite memories of that evening were watching the women descend the cobblestone stairs barefoot, their stilettos in hand.

2. What were you doing in Lake Como, Italy? Did you enjoy traveling there?

2009 actually brought me to Lake Como twice! The first was my first trip to Italy so I was overjoyed to help my good friend and colleague, Ryan Cotton, when he asked me to help him do hair for a 4 day wedding celebration in a villa on the lake. The gathering was intimate, the people warm and inviting and the landscape lent its hand to the ethereal. I still look back on that time as if it were a dream.I was thrilled, later that year, when Marie and I were invited to a special client’s party appropriately titled “Fra Amici” – to celebrate the gift of friendship and have a chance to party. Lake Como is unsurpassed in it’s transcendent beauty and it is no surprise that it is the perfect destination for celebrations of love and gratitiude.

3. Are there any differences between the ways people upkeep their hair abroad as opposed to here in the States? Is it more relaxed and free flowing or higher maintenance?

Generally speaking, I’d say that women in New York tend to be more high maintenance than women in other parts of the world. I noticed that women in France, Italy, Poland, Germany and Spain have an easy breezy approach to beauty – hair and makeup alike. I noticed that French women (they win!) tend to have no fuss hair while their outfits are immaculately crafted AND they can ride a bike in them! The same goes for plastic surgery. I noticed a lot less Botox and collagen in Europe which felt so much more confident and rock & roll.  One of my favorite shoots in Europe was actually an editorial I did for J People magazine in Berlin.  The hair was easy, effortless and glamorous. I did a wet slicked back look on one of the girls and to compliment her I did a brushed out 70′s set on the other. The clothes were all Drykorn (a popular brand in Germany) and were simple, modern and fresh and I wanted to create looks that were sexy and edgy without looking fussy.

4. What are your most prized worldly possessions that you keep in your apartment from your travels?

5. What’s next for you in your traveling endeavors? Where have you always wanted to go that you haven’t yet?

I am dying to go to Turkey, Russia, Bhutan, Japan and to the Amazon basin in Ecuador. In two weeks I am traveling to Mexico to do a friend’s hair for her wedding and boating off to the remote fishing village of Yelapa where burros will take our luggage to our cove side bungalow. I can already taste the fish tacos and tequila!

Interviewed by Nadia Elsayed
Photos by Paul Kwiatkowski

Ivy Kirzhner New York – spring/summer 2013 lookbook by Alex R. Kirzhner on Vimeo.

The event on January 10th was a much more subdued than the Artwalks that had taken place in the summer months. In July and August, a vibrant street fair with an art market and a colony of food trucks sprung up in the Old Bank District. On a chilly night – one that required a wool coat and boots – Artwalk seemed to attract primarily locals and real enthusiasts.The holiday light canopy on 4th and Main was still lit, creating a nostalgic, wintry mood as a two police officers trotted across the street on horseback.

GR Space

14 West Fourth Street

Los Angeles, CA , 90013.

My first stop was at GR Space, a gallery devoted to the merging of commercial animation and fine art. The gallery currently houses the installation “Rafele”, a creation of AKAirways. “Rafele” consists of a series of translucent white inflatables that hang from the ceiling of the gallery. These inflatables are literally animated by the flow of air through the cresecent-shaped volumes. These are lit by LED lights that project a changing spectrum of colors through the material. Like much of what Artwalk has to offer, “Rafele” represents a hybridization of high and low culture; a serious technical undertaking infused with fun.

Robert Reynolds Gallery

408 S. Spring St

Los Angeles, CA 90013

The next destination was the nearby Robert Reynolds Gallery, which was showing “Tadeusz Torzecki + Robert Reynolds”, an exhibition of new works by the artists. This spacious, brightly lit gallery was clearly a crowd favorite. Reynolds’ whimsical “flying boats” soared overhead as visitors examined the paintings and drawings on display. I found Reynolds’ multimedia painting series “Sanctuary” to be the most compelling. In order to create these works, organic materials, such as twigs and sawdust are layered onto the canvas to compose a landscape in collage. These are then sealed over with a smooth layer of dark, waxy color, save a small rectangle. This uncolored area interrupts the illusion of landscape and creates a window into the artist’s technique. The presence of the light-colored rectangle on the dark field creates a second composition that is revealed as the viewer stands further away from the paintings.

Kapsoul

548 S Spring Street

Los Angeles, CA, 90013

Farther down Spring Street, I took a detour towards some of my favorite boutiques. The style of Downtown L.A. remains eclectic and loosely defined. While I’ve heard my neighbors described as hipsters, the DTLA look is decidedly more polished and less androgynous than its New York counterpart. The carefully curated selection of vintage clothing, accessories, and kitsch at Kapsoul may come close to defining that illusive style. Near the door, I immediately noticed a selection of preowned Ferragamo flats in excellent condition. Against the wall, there is a neat display of vintage Louis Vuitton and MCM bags available for reasonable prices as well as  bejeweled YSL pumps, which were unfortunately a size too large for me. At the back of the store, there is a display devoted to “wood” items: faux wood iphone covers, eyeglass frames, and wristwatches, as well as camouflage jackets and a selection of pocket tools.

Round Two

600 S Spring St

Unit 109

Los Angeles, CA 90014

Afterwards, I crossed the street to pay a visit to Round 2, a tiny vintage and consignment store with an unrivaled collection of exotic and glamorous clothing items from the 60’s 70’s and 80’s. There isn’t much space for customers to circulate and browse in Round 2, but if you are knowledgeable about vintage fashion and have plenty of patience, you can find some real treasures here. The store has a prominent display of unique Lady Gaga-Esque platforms at its center, which include a wide selection of gorgeous Jeffrey Campbell shoes. My eye settled on a white vintage leather Ferragamo Gancini bag with gold hardware soon after coming in the door, and I simply could not resist purchasing it. Like many of Round 2’s vintage offerings, this bag will require a little bit of effort to restore its former glory, but I welcome the challenge.

Written by Nicole S. Karpf for Saint & Libertine NY

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Ivy Kirzhner Autumn/Winter 2013 Footwear explores the Wild, Wild West! in the 70-piece collection’s decadent, dark yet playful juxtaposition of “Deco Western” theme. Taking the silhouettes inspired by the wild frontier and detailing them with the designer’s iconic signature deco-enameled hardware embellishments, luxurious exotics, laser-engineered textural print effects, and introducing an intricately layered and decadent bejeweled beadwork, the Ivy Kirzhner A/W 2013 collection gives a new modern twist to rock and roll glam, reflecting the smokey, edgier facet in the designer’s global perspective.

Since the launch of her critically acclaimed, Deco-inspired Spring/Summer 2013 footwear collection, New York City-based designer Ivy Kirzhner has been pushing the boundaries of luxury footwear with her refined and “hip” global aesthetic combined with a dynamic, highly technical and artistic prowess, making her one of the most sought-after premiere footwear designers in the industry. With an extensive art and design background, Ivy interprets inspirations from historic eras or art movement into luxuriously chic, highly coveted modern footwear, always filled with intricate, lush detailed handwork, groundbreaking engineering and insurmountable quality.

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Event produced by Social Standard and Saint&Libertine, New York

Event Photos courtesy of Annie Kee Gaia and Alex R. Kirzhner

My perspective on the Man-Repeller is not so much about being repellent to all men in general, but more so about repelling the wrong type of man and attracting only the cool ones who get it… get it?

feat: Alyson Shotz (1), Tribute to Maison Martin Margiela 20th birthday, Natasa Vojnovic for Doingbird #13 by Danko Steiner (2), Art from Art Basel (3), McQueen s/s 2012 (4),“Gardenia Oil Painting” by Michael Creese (5), Javascapes by Daniel G. Walczyk (6), and various other tumblr images!

IVY KIRZHNER

A/W 2013 Footwear

Presentation will be held at the AFA Gallery in Soho, NYC on February 8th.

**Exclusive Invitation Only**

Please email info@ivykirzhner.com for more details.

A Part of New York Fashion Week

Presented by:

Saint & Libertine New York, LLC

Social Standard

I decided to add a little bit of hip hop into my man-tailor.

I’ve always been frightful of rottweilers.  But I finally found one that’s cute, huggable and that will never ever bite.

I was very lucky to find killer mens kicks that finally came in my size.  (Hong Kong retailers carry smaller sizes for their petite yet seriously stylish dandies).

I’m swapping over-size bags for some sleek portfolios (and foregoing my makeup bag).

Trade contact lenses with nerdy German specs to give my eyes some rest.

All that’s left is to learn how to break-dance.

Ivy Kirzhner.  In Hong Kong.  January 2013.

This past weekend I went on a little weekend getaway with my family to a place we use to call a home. For two sweet days we roamed Pearl Street, drove through the panoramic views of mountains, and absorbed every bit of the culture as we revisited past times.

It was interesting to return to a place where the intimate memories have faded. And, in my attempt to regain what I’ve forgotten, I created new perspectives and experiences. Boulder is the town where I attended to my Tibetian pre-school, Snowlion, learned how to ski, and watched deer eat my mom’s flowers in our front garden. After 13 years, returning I was over-welhmed with the generous people I met and the creative energy that I was surrounded by. My family and I dined and shopped—as one would on any mini-vacation— and enjoyed what we once forgotten.

-Sophia Callahan

photos  via instagram (@saintandlibertine & @sophiacallahan)

Being home in Los Angeles, I’ve been doing a lot of spring winter cleaning. Going through old closets, clothes and memories. I stashed these perfect 3.5 inch heel, black and crushed oxblood Yves Saint Laurent booties up by my favorite books before I left for New York… but don’t worry– this time they’ll be coming back with me.

They were my mom’s in the 1990s—how many time have you heard that line? haha. So sweet, and barely ever worn. I think my mom told me she bought them for a wedding to match a floor-length Betsy Johnson crushed velvet cardigan she had.

Fantastic little babies, aren’t they?

-Sophia Callahan