6 P-P-Puff 1981
Photo: Lorraine Sylvestre
THE P-P-PUFF – Kay
This is the short version of The P-P-Puff, voluminous, airy,
with carefully cut-up hair p-p-puffing…flicking and flirting around the silhouette,
which was injected with a healthy dose of fresh…air. The look was very natural,
very casual, very new in 1981 and the start of a major trend very few now recognize
as coming from Vidal Sassoon.
One could go from rags to riches to get this look. It could be set with rags or
the P-P-Puff perm, by Edward Moore, was wrapped with more than one layer and size of
roller in some areas; in others, tiny sections were weaved and permed for an airy yet
controlled quality.
Hair: Graham Wren, Vidal Sassoon, NY, 1981
Perm: Edward Moore, Vidal Sassoon, NY, 1981
Makeup: Mariella Smith-Masters, Beauty Bookings
HairCare/SkinCare: Vidal Sassoon Treatment Products
Dress: Ellen Gleason
Earrings: Ken Begun
Model: Kay Romero
Photo: Lorraine Sylvestre
Produced by Helen Oppenheim
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © HELEN OPPENHEIM 2012
Comment7 P-P-Puff 1981
Photo: Lorraine Sylvestre
THE P-P-PUFF – Kay
Short version of The P-P-Puff by Graham Wren in 1981 was injected around the silhouette
with a healthy dose of fresh…air.
The look, which got publicity all over the world, started a trend for more casual silhouettes
few recognize today as coming from Vidal Sassoon.
Hair: Graham Wren, Vidal Sassoon, NY, 1981
Perm: Edward Moore, Vidal Sasoon, NY, 1981
Makeup: Mariella Smith-Masters, Beauty Bookings
HairCare/SkinCare: Vidal Sassoon Treatment Products
Dress: Ellen Gleason
Earrings: Ken Begun
Model: Kay Romero
Photo: Lorraine Sylvestre
ANEDCOTE: The lovely model for the short looks was the wife of the President of the Vidal
Sassoon Salons USA. I think she is half Japanese, half Dutch or something exotic and wonderful
and she had done some modeling.
Produced by Helen Oppenheim
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © HELEN OPPENHEIM 2012
Comment8 P-P-Puff 1981
Photo: Lorraine Sylvstre
THE P-P-PUFF – Meggan
For this version of The P-P-Puff, by Vidal Sassoon’s Art Director Avram, the silhouette was injected
with a positive dose of fresh…air, and the “hair is cut aerially, layered superficially with all ends
wisped for a soft new look. It was cut in C-shape around the cheekbone, giving extra volume when
waved away from the the face, extra openness when worn down.”
The message was all-over volume, whether the hair was left alone to dry naturally, blown dry,
with or without a brush, or puff-dried upside down with fingers.
Hair: Avram, Vidal Sassoon, NY, 1981
Makeup: Mariella Smith-Masters, Beauty Bookings
HairCare/SkinCare: Vidal Sassoon Treatment Products
Bustier: Perry Ellis
Model: Meggan
Photo: Lorraine Sylvestre
Produced by Helen Oppenheim
ANECDOTE: The model was one of my assistants at my Sassoon office, she was not a
model but the photographer, Lorraine Sylvestre, made her look like one in this photo.
Megan had bright red hair, see color photo # 13 in this album.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © HELEN OPPENHEIM 2012
Comment9 P-P-Puff 1981
Photo: Lorraine Sylvestre
THE P-P-PUFF – Meggan
Big, soft, sexy, all-over volume injected with a healthy dose of fresh…air.
By Avram, Art Director, Vidal Sassoon, 1981.
First, a superb precision cut and healthy hair, said Avram at the time of this style,
taking precision cutting a step further, with the formality gone and and hair freed
of its solid form, with no hard edges.
Hair: Avram Vidal Sassoon, NY, 1981
Makeup: Mariella Smith-Masters, Beauty Bookings
HairCare/SkinCare: Vidal Sassoon Treatment Products
Earrings: Ken Begun
Model: Meggan
Photo: Lorraine Sylvestre
Produced by Helen Oppenheim
Anecdote: United Press International, one of the world’s top wire services at the time,
sent this photo all over the Americas and the world (except for UK and Germany
at our request.) A PR coup. Interesting, how UPI wanted their own newsy tie in, I wrote the story,
at their request, they published it almost word for word. (I should add I had a good long-term relationship relationship there, sometimes used to go into their offices and type away…)
They wrote: “In honor of the recent engagement of Britain’s Prince Charles –
who may in the future become King Charles III – Avram of Vidal Sassoon,
New York, has created this new hair shape. It’s inspired by an old photo of
King Charles II. According to Sassoon’s “The look is big and sexy, the effect
airy, with carefully cut-up hair flicking and flirting around the silhouette.”
Avram explains: “The hair is cut aerially. It is layered superficially with all ends
wisped for a soft new look, and is cut in a C-shape (for Charles) around the
cheekbone, giving extra openness when worn down.” And says Avram, “Many
of our newest looks are refreshingly long.”
(King Charles II did have hair similar and we hope you like the C-shape (for Charles.)
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © HELEN OPPENHEIM 2012
Comment10 P-P-Puff 1981
THE P-P-PUFF – Peluquerias Cover, 1981
This is the cover with gold lamé rags by Vidal Sassoon for Peluquerias Magazine of Spain.
Ever seen a hair magazine with rags on the cover?!
Hair: Graham Wren, Vidal Sassoon, NY, 1981
Makeup: Mariella Smith-Masters, Beauty Bookings
SkinCare: Vidal Sassoon Treatment Products
Robe: Ellen Gleason
Model: Kay Romero
Photo: Lorraine Sylvestre
Produced by Helen Oppenheim
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © HELEN OPPENHEIM 2012
Comment11 P-P-Puff 1981
Photo: © Lorraine Sylvestre
THE P-P-PUFF/Rags to Riches – Kay
These glamorous gold standard rags are hand-made by Avram and Vidal Sassoon staff and were
made of Gold Lamé, pretty enough to walk around the home in and even to party in.
We had made a collection – in animal and camouflage prints – and we were published in a
lot of major magazines like Bazaar (a full page), Vogue, New York, even Playbill Magazine, as well
as The New York Sunday Times, the Daily Mail in the UK, major newspapers across the
US and all the hair magazines world-wide, including a cover in Peluquerias Magazine of
Spain (see Photo No. 10 below this one.)
The “rags” had wire and foam inside for an easier set. I had wanted Sassoon to manufacture
the idea and sell the rags since we got such massive publicity for them in all the best magazines
but that didn’t happen.
Hair: Graham Wren, Vidal Sassoon, NY, 1981
Makeup: Mariella Smith-Masters, Beauty Bookings
SkinCare: Vidal Sassoon Treatment Products
Robe: Ellen Gleason
Model: Kay Romero
Photo: Lorraine Sylvestre
Produced by Helen Oppenheim
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © HELEN OPPENHEIM 2012
Comment
12 P-P-Puff 1981
Photo: Lorraine Sylvestre
THE P-P-PUFF – Danielle
The big new silhouette from Vidal Sassoon Salons USA in 1981 was injected with a healthy dose
of fresh…air. Very new then, a very different and high fashion direction for Vidal Sassoon.
The look was voluminous, the effect airy, fresh, very natural, casual, with carefully cut-up hair
p-p-puffing…flicking and flirting around the silhouette, framing the face, in soft, flattering ways.
It was big. And soft. And sexy.
For more on The P-P-Puff see under each photo.
Hair: Graham Wren, Vidal Sassoon, NY, 1981
Makeup: Ted Nadel
HairCare/SkinCare: Vidal Sassoon Treatment Products
Dress: Ellen Gleason
Earrings: Ken Begun
Model: Danielle, Filor Agency
Photo: Lorraine Sylvestre
Produced by Helen Oppenheim
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © HELEN OPPENHEIM 2012
Comment13 P-P-Puff 1981
Photo: Lorraine Sylvestre
THE P-P-PUFF – Meggan
For this version of The P-P-Puff, by Vidal Sassoon’s Art Director Avram, the silhouette was
injected with a healthy dose of fresh…air, and the “hair is cut aerially, layered superficially
with all ends wisped for a soft new look. It was cut in C-shape around the cheekbone, giving extra volume when waved away from the the face, extra openness when worn down.”
The message was all-over volume, whether the hair was left alone to dry naturally, blown dry,
with or without a brush, or puff-dried upside down with fingers. At Sassoon, we didn’t tease,
so we did a lot of hair upside down!
Hair: Avram, Vidal Sassoon, NY, 1981
Makeup: Mariella Smith-Masters, Beauty Bookings
HairCare/SkinCare: Vidal Sassoon Treatment Products
Bustier: Perry Ellis
Model: Meggan
Photo: Lorraine Sylvestre
Produced by Helen Oppenheim
Anecdotes: Meggan was one of my assistants at my Sassoon office, she was not a
model but the photographer, Lorraine Sylvestre, made her look like one in this photo.
She had beautiful red hair and who could resist.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © HELEN OPPENHEIM 2012
Comment