Vidal Sassoon Helen Oppenheim Toronto – 1981
A PASCALAIN GIANELLO COLLAGE
Helen with Vidal Sassoon for the launch of the Vidal Sassoon Jeans and Hair Care Products in Toronto, 1981. Yes, you read it right – jeans! With the hair care products. For more on the $Million Dollar Jeans, the event, go to HairThen, Vidal Sassoon, Canadian Launch, on www.helenoppenheim.com
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2 Canadian Launch 1980
Photo: Unknown
Million $ Jeans and Security Guard
Here’s the Million $ Jeans with a real Pinkerton security guard, complete with gun. We hired one in Toronto, shown here, and another in Montreal for the jeans fashion show and event we held there the previous day at Régine’s, which was followed the next day by the jeans at the Montreal Grand Prix where 50 hostesses and pit girls flashed and dashed about in Vidal Sassoon jeans and tops.
This was a major PR effort on my part, which I handled from my NY office with Norma Meneguzzi of Ayer Barker in Toronto and RPM Promotions in Montreal working with Lawrence Taylor of Vidal Sassoon in Century City in California.
The jeans were manufactured in Canada by Skirt Togs in Montreal for Vidal Sassoon of Canada Ltd.
Hair: Helen Chudoba, Vidal Sassoon, Toronto, 1980 … Model : Paula Turnbull, International Top Models … Photographer: Unknown.
REQUESTED ANECDOTE FROM PETER NIEDAN, THE SECURITY GUARD, 33 YEARS LATER AFTER HE MADE A COMMENT UNDER THIS PHOTO, SEE BELOW:
“it was long ago and I happened to keep a security newspaper called The Eye which was a Pinkerton issue..vol 28, no 4 december 1980. What I recall from that evening was that Mr. Vidal Sassoon was very welcoming to me when I arrived for my escort duty. Told me to stick to Paula’s side no matter what, even if pictures were being taken. When the picture was taken we were on stage in front of the crowd and when Paula put her hands on me she was shaking and hence the distortion of my mouth on the right side as I was talking to her to calm her down. If I remember correctly this was her first show where she was the prime model. A gentleman(?) made some comment about how hard my job was having to watch her butt all evening. At the end of the evening she and I went back to her hotel room and I waited outside for her to change and give me the pair of jeans which I then brought to the client and then since my duties were finished. Do not really remember to much else of the evening except that Paula behaved in a professional way and to my mind did a good job. Mr Peter Niedan”
Produced by Helen Oppenheim
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © COPYRIGHT HELEN OPPENHEIM 2012
Comment3 Canadian Launch 1980
Vidal Sassoon Million $ Jeans kept safe. Sketch: Georgine Strathy
Million $ Jeans Safe
The Million $ Jeans were kept in a safe when not in use.
Sketch by Georgine Strathy
ANECDOTE: Actually, the diamonds were attached to just a pocket.
I had to travel by train with the pocket of diamonds from Toronto to Montreal because
there was an air strike on at the time. I remember a very experienced
member of the press being concerned for me that I was traveling with the diamonds
and no security.
Produced by Helen Oppenheim
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © COPYRIGHT HELEN OPPENHEIM 2012
Comment4 Canadian Launch 1980
Vidal Sassoon Jeans, 1980. Sketch : Georgine Strathy
Vidal Sassoon Designer Jeans and Tops
The Vidal Sassoon women’s jeans featured The Carrot Leg – a new shape in 1980,
like a baggie, no pleats, tapered at the ankle – which is why there’s a paper carrot top left,
and why we included an orange paper carrot with the press release.
Colors included putty, slate, butternut, quail and shell pink, fountain blue, and
quartz lilac, pearl, water lilly – great colors for then! Of course, there was also
blue denim.
The jeans manufactured by Skirt Togs in Montreal for Vidal Sassoon Canada Ltd.
were almost as huge a success as the hair care products after the launch, and one
of them, can’t remember which now, shot up to No. 2 in their category in Canada.
NOTE: Of course, Vidal Sassoon Jeans were later discontinued because manufacturing
jeans were not the area of expertise for a hair product company.
Sketch by Georgine Strathy
Produced by Helen Oppenheim
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © COPYRIGHT HELEN OPPENHEIM 2012
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4a Canadian Jeans 1980
Vidal Sassoon Jeans @ Montreal Grand Prix,1980. Sketch: Georgine Strathy
Vidal Sassoon Designer Jeans at Montreal Grand Prix
50 hostesses and pit girls flashed and dashed about in Vidal Sassoon jeans
and tops and the Montreal Grand Prix in 1980.
Jeans manufactured in Montreal by Skirt Togs for Vidal Sassoon Canada Ltd.
Sketch by Georgine Strathy
Produced by Helen Oppenheim
ANECDOTE: The reason Vidal Sassoon manufactured his own designer jeans was
because everyone at Vidal Sassoon was receiving many requests per day for
jeans. Why? Well, a major jeans company at the time was called Sasson (with one o)
and everyone thought that was us, so I guess the Powers That Be saw an opportunity.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © COPYRIGHT HELEN OPPENHEIM 2012
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7 Canadian Launch 1980
Vidal Sassoon with Helen Oppenheim, Canadian Launch 1980, Toronto
Helen Oppenheim with Vidal Sassoon
in Toronto at the Canadian launch of the Vidal Sassoon hair care line and designer jeans and tops.
It took me a long time to recover from planning this major 3-day PR effort which included
all media, from papers to magazines, to tv, radio and more – in 3 cities. It was hugely
successful but totally exhausting. Vidal had wanted to approve all interviews,
in advance, no spaces between interviews, either for the 1 day in Montreal,
a Sunday, or for the 2 days in Toronto. Interviews continued throughout meals,
Vidal did yoga as he talked about his event on TV, very early in the morning and he
ended the 2 day promotional tour with a massage, something I should have done!
Radio interviews were done later. And I remember flying in to Toronto for a major
interview to join Vidal and the interviewer just for lunch one day.
Recently I found that schedule I gave Vidal Sassoon in advance, and I can’t
believe I did all that – from New York too. But I do know that one of the major reasons that
Vidal Sassoon became a legend is because he knew the value of the media and
public relations promotions, he wanted and expected more than anyone,
and he knew how to get it.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © COPYRIGHT HELEN OPPENHEIM 2012
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