Louis Alexandre Raimon

Infobox Fashion Designer


caption=
name=Louis Alexandre Raimon
nationality=French
birth_date=Birth date and age|1922|9|6
birth_place=Saint Tropez, France
death_date= January 2008
death_place=
education=
label_name=Alexandre de Paris
significant_design=
awards=|

Louis Alexandre Raimon (September 6 1922 – January 12 2008), better known as Alexandre de Paris, was a famous French hairdresser, or rather a maître coiffeur. He was responsible for creating Elizabeth Taylor's coiffure in the 1963 Hollywood epic "Cleopatra (1963 film)". He also styled hairdos for Greta Garbo and Lauren Bacall among others. He was nicknamed the "prince de la coiffure", "d'Artagnan de la coiffure", "Sphinx de la coiffure", and "Figaro."His very particular chignons and his flamboyant style made him very famous, setting the fashion of hairstyling for decades."(Note:a chignon is a knot or a coil of hair arranged in the back of a woman's head)"

Biography

Alexandre was born on September 6, 1922 in Saint-Tropez, France. In 1938, he began working as an apprentice at a hair salon in Cannes (French Riviera). He soon became premier garçon of his master Antoine. In this salon, he met Andrée Banaudi, to whom he remained married until his death.

In 1946, he became famous for his masterpiece, the hairdo of Begum Aga Khan (Yvette Labrousse) for her wedding with Aga Khan III. That same year, he created the concept of the artistic chignon. He worked for over 40 years with the masters of French haute couture (Coco Chanel, Yves Saint-Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy, Christian Dior, Karl Lagerfeld, Madame Grès, Pierre Balmain, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler). Like them, he became a well-known symbol of French chic.

In 1952, he opened a salon jointly with the Carita sisters. Five years later, in 1957, he opened his own salon, also on the Rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré in Paris. Jean Cocteau, his friend, designed his logo, naming him "le Sphinx de la Coiffure". Later, in 1982, he opened a second salon, Avenue Matignon, in Paris.

His clientele included the Duchess of Windsor (who had introduced him to the international aristocracy as he was starting out), the Countess of Paris, Princess Grace of Monaco, and also actresses such as Audrey Hepburn, Lauren Bacall, Liza Minnelli, Shirley MacLaine, Greta Garbo, Maria Callas, Sophia Loren, Arletty, Michèle Morgan and Romy Schneider.

For a dinner given at the Chateau de Versailles by Général de Gaulle in honour of the President of the USA John F. Kennedy in 1961, Alexandre put diamonds in Jackie Kennedy's chignon.One of his signature as a chignon was called "the artichoke".

In 1961, he created Elizabeth Taylor's hairdo for the film "Cleopatra". He was very close to Elizabeth Taylor, whom he considered a personal friend. He designed her coiffure for many movies in which she starred, as well as for her wedding with actor Richard Burton.

He was also the hairdresser of King Hassan II and the Queen of Jordan and was invited by the Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to dress the hair of most prestigious guest of the lavish celebration of Persepolis in 1971.

He was the president of the Organisation Mondiale de la Coiffure from 1978 until 1993.

At the exhibition "The Grace Kelly Years", in the summer of 2007 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, Frédéric Mitterrand gave a tribute to Alexandre's long-lasting work for Princess Grace of Monaco by displaying a selection of original drawings from the master, pictures and letters. These exceptional pieces, all property of the family of Grimaldi, showed the dedication and the great respect that he had for the Princess and for Monaco.

He died on January 12, 2008 at the age of 85, beside his wife and son.

Decorations

* Two Oscars de la Mode in 1963 and 1969.
* Honorary Dé d'or of the Haute Couture (1994).
* Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur
* Chevalier dans l'Ordre national du Mérite
* Chevalier des Arts et Lettres.
* Médaille de Vermeil de la Ville de Paris
* Chevalier de l'ordre de Saint-Charles (Monaco)

Sources

* [http://www.carnetdujour.publiprint.fr/index_figaro.php?origine=FIGARO&keywd=Raimon&rub=DEU&jour=12&mois=01&annee=2008&x=23&y=16 Carnet du Jour] . "Le Figaro". 12 January 2008.
* [http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jtcE_CuodQSh6R815SEt4ha6fbuA Décès du maître Alexandre de Paris, inventeur de la "haute coiffure"] . "AFP". 12 January 2008.
*Stéphane Bern, [http://www.lefigaro.fr/culture/2008/01/14/03004-20080114ARTFIG00356-alexandre-de-parisfigaro-des-princesses-.php Alexandre de Paris, figaro des princesses] . "Le Figaro". 14 January 2008.
* [http://monacorevue.com/events/sd1070712.html The Grace Kelly years exhibition in the Monaco Revue] .
* [http://www.grimaldiforum.com/fre/culturel/expo_info.aspx?ID=26 The Grace Kelly years exhibition] .
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7185564.stm BBC report on Alexandre's death]
* [http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Entertainment/2008/01/12/alexandre_iconic_french_hairdresser_dies/2159/ UPI story]
* [http://www.wwd.com/search/article/121434 Nice article in the WWD by Jennifer Weil]
* [http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article3336117.ece Nice one by John Lichfield in The Independent]
* [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/6/story.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10487552 John Lichfield again...]
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article3226319.ece Obituary in "The Times", 22 January 2008]