Since this season of endless parties began, I’ve probably put together a grand total of eight black-tie looks in the space of a month and a half. Let me tell you, that’s a whole lotta time and effort. I’ve gone floor-length, short, sophisticated, racy, and every other iteration of “cocktail” you can think of. But one common denominator in all of this fall event frenzy has been my unwavering desire to incorporate hair chains into a look a la Serena Van der Woodsen at the White Party. Alas, my amateur efforts have failed. Every. Single. Time. I began to wonder if chic hair chains were simply a figment of Gossip Girl imagination. And so, with the advent of my last major event of the season, I decided to go to the pros.
For the Apollo Circle Benefit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art last night, I booked my go-to stylist Francesca D’Ambrosio of Cutler Salon. I showed up to the gorgeous Midtown salon at 7 pm sharp, wielding nothing more than an old long rhinestone necklace circa 1994 and some broken silver strands from the bottom of my jewelry chest. “Can you somehow stick these in my hair and make it look good?” I asked meekly as I lowered myself down into Francesca’s chair.
“Sure,” she said gamely. “Let’s put some curl into your hair first.” And with that, she went to work with the kind of singular focus that makes me love her. After my formerly limp locks were transformed into a headful of lustrous waves, she summoned stylist David Kastin over to consult on how to fix said necklaces into my hair without making me look like a wayward Princess Leia. The duo carefully arranged and pinned away until my head was draped in subtly sparkling crystals that complimented my mini midnight blue Frank Tell dress perfectly.
I walked out of that salon thoroughly confident and thoroughly grateful. Now that’s the way to end the fall party circuit.
David and Francesca intently pinning a necklace into my hair.
