Davide Torchio is my Oscars hero

Full disclosure: Davide Torchio comped his services. I paid only cash tips to his assistants. Read to the end of this post for a special discount offer for Jack & Hill readers.

 When celebrity stylist Davide Torchio invited me to his uptown New York salon to get my hair styled for the Oscars, I was more than ready for a new look - if only for one night. Although my hair hasn't seen scissors or color for six months, it's in really great shape. I feel like I finally have the hair I always wanted - there's no real style to it, sadly, but it shines and complies easily with my attempts to make it look presentable. That usually means some mousse (I like Samy's Fat Hair Amplifying Mousse or Big Sexy Hair Root Pump) and finger-combing under the blow drier for a pretty straight, plain look. So I was thinking some soft curls might make a nice change. 

Davide took that and ran with it. When he told me he was going to do a Veronica Lake style, I got nervous: I hate having my hair in my face. Somehow, he managed to create a very Bacall-esque do without me having to push my hair out of my eyes every three seconds. My hair has never looked this fancy, and probably never will again; I felt like I'd stepped off the set of Mad Men. Here's my transformation from start to finish.

 

I was told not to wash my hair before my appointment. This is what my hair looks like after only 20 hours post-wash.

An assistant washed my hair and, per Davide's instructions, did not condition it. (I try not to condition my hair too often, as it has more volume if I don't. But my apartment is quite dry, and so I've been doing so more often over the winter.) She then applied Davide's own volumizer and made it very, very dry. Then another assistant took over, using a curling iron to make hot loops with my hair, which he then pinned down all over my head. 

My grandmother used to do her hair like this, which made it a somewhat sentimental thing for me to have mine done the same. Sad but true.

After about 15 minutes of cooling time - during which I scoffed my favorite gluten-free, sugar-free, vegan cupcakes from Babycakes NYC (Davide's a vegan, which meant I could eat the baked goods at a social event for the first time since I went wheat-free and sugar-free several months ago) - all the pins were removed. I actually kind of liked my hair like this, without any further styling.

 

 

The finished product: soft, wavy locks with a retro - yet completely un-grandmotherly - feel. Davide was insistent that I pair this look with dramatic eyeliner and red lipstick. I chickened out on that, fearing that a combination of red lips (which are almost always aging) and liquid liner with this hair would be just too much. I'd love to rock this style with a pretty sundress and heels in the summer, you know? It doesn't have to be just a party look. (Though it was much admired by those at my Oscar party, and quite a few men on the streets of New York, judging by the gazes I seemed to be attracting after I left the salon.)

And yes, I love that I resemble my late Gramma Danicki a wee bit with this hair:

I often find celebrity stylists a bit distant and intimidating, but Davide is engaging and made me feel completely comfortable (as did his great assistants). He and one of the salon's co-owners even talked me out of forking out for a pricey Coppola keratin treatment - the best, most gentle on the market - as they didn't think my mostly frizz-free hair really required such a drastic move. Davide didn't force me to make small talk with him, either, which I really appreciated. Anyway, the salon's intimate, fun atmosphere put me in a sociable mood, so I was blathering away to everyone else in the room for much of the time. The way a salon can make you feel - either well taken care of or that they are doing YOU a big favor by letting you give them your business - is huge to me. It counts for a lot for me to be able to go somewhere cozy and friendly like Davide's.

Here's the best news: If you call Davide Torchio now through the end of March and mention Jack & Hill, you'll get 20 percent off all salon services. Their prices are fantastically reasonable, especially for a salon in New York (and especially for a celebrity-favored salon in New York), so this is an excellent bargain. I plan to make use of it myself as much as possible. Tell them Jack & Hill sent you! 

Davide Torchio
954 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10021
(212) 737-3621

Comments

[gaurav]

Davide Torchio is definitely a great stylist, one of my inspirations since long.

[All Women Stalker]

Nice! you're gorgeous :)

[H]

Very nice ;)

[Go Pretty]

Loving your look!!