Kenneth
Shear Elegance
Published on 15. October 2020
Book
Hardback
192 pages
978-0-7643-6003-9 (ISBN)
Description
The extraordinary life and career of Kenneth Battelle, pioneering hairstylist to the stars in the 1950's and beyond.
Kenneth Battelle, known simply as "Kenneth," was a pioneering hairstylist who obliterated the once-omnipresent hat and transformed the fashion industry through his A-list clients at his iconic 54th Street Salon. His 50-year career started in the early 1950s in New York City. The loyal client list he built, which included Jacqueline Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Countess Consuelo Crespi, Diana Vreeland, Lucille Ball, and Gloria Vanderbilt, swore by his skills.
Kenneth: Shear Elegance is a biography that not only celebrates Kenneth's extraordinary talent but examines his behind-the-scenes life and career struggles, including the disastrous fire that destroyed his salon, and his perseverance moving forward. Through personal memories of those closest to him, including friends, clients, and former employees, the man who created a cult of classic, timeless women comes to life.
Previously unpublished photographs, notes, clippings, and original Joe Eula illustrations richly exhibit both his myriad achievements and America's 20th-century high-fashion scene.
Kenneth Battelle, known simply as "Kenneth," was a pioneering hairstylist who obliterated the once-omnipresent hat and transformed the fashion industry through his A-list clients at his iconic 54th Street Salon. His 50-year career started in the early 1950s in New York City. The loyal client list he built, which included Jacqueline Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Countess Consuelo Crespi, Diana Vreeland, Lucille Ball, and Gloria Vanderbilt, swore by his skills.
Kenneth: Shear Elegance is a biography that not only celebrates Kenneth's extraordinary talent but examines his behind-the-scenes life and career struggles, including the disastrous fire that destroyed his salon, and his perseverance moving forward. Through personal memories of those closest to him, including friends, clients, and former employees, the man who created a cult of classic, timeless women comes to life.
Previously unpublished photographs, notes, clippings, and original Joe Eula illustrations richly exhibit both his myriad achievements and America's 20th-century high-fashion scene.
Reviews / Votes
The day I told Marilyn Monroe to bleach down under: Celebrity hairdresser Kenneth Battelle -- who also styled Princess Margaret, Lauren Bacall and Jackie Kennedy reveals how he saved the Some Like It Hot stars modesty in a new book ... Considered by many to be the first celebrity hairdresser, such was Kenneths fame that, in 1961, Vogue magazine declared that almost every famous female head in the world has gone or will go to his salon, which was just off Fifth Avenue ... The stylist died in 2013 at the age of 86 while preparing to work with writer Giuseppe Longo on his biography. Now, through his notes and the memories of those close to Kenneth, Longo has written Shear Elegance, which traces Kenneths compelling story and legacy. -- Kathryn Knight, Daily Mail, 13 November 2020More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Atglen
United States
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
242 color and b/w images
Dimensions
Height: 249 mm
Width: 206 mm
Thickness: 28 mm
Weight
1021 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7643-6003-9 (9780764360039)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification