My friends know how fond I am of my hairdresser, Christian Miller. He has cut my hair (and the hair of countless girlfriends) over the last 5+ years. I always tell people about my first, propitious meeting with Chris. He was recommended to me by a classy and stylish former coworker when I first moved to the city. I will admit, my hair is pretty fab now, but before moving to NY I always seemed to manage to find some way to butcher it: hair dye incidents, blunt bangs, bad cuts, bar fires – you name it, my hair has been through it. When she recommended PANYC salon, I pounced. But I almost didn’t meet Chris. When I arrived at PANYC’s old location, it was not the retro-edgy establishment is it now. It was kind of small and grungy. Chris was running late. And he had bad hair. Hair that can only be described as peroxide-bleached Dumb + Dumber hair. With roots. So I was justifiably scared. In fact, I was seriously considering fleeing the premises and thinking up a million excuses. Luckily, I survived the first cut, Chris got a new haircut, and the rest is history.
I am not the only one who thinks Chris is the bee’s knees. He happens to be Orlando Pita’s first assistant. As in: Orlando Pita, hairdressing guru, stylist of the stars, he of the coveted $800 haircut, hair magician (real magic this time), whose runway curriculum vitae reads like the first fifty pages of Vogue: Carolina Herrera, Michael Kors, Versace, Prada, Miu Miu, Christian Dior, Valentino (he was in The Last Emperor), Gucci, Narcisco Rodriguez, Dolce & Gabbana, Proenza Schouler, Derek Lam, and John Galliano. Drool. Where was I?
Ah yes. So Chris has given me the inside scoop on Orlando’s inspired and innovative styling products: Orlando Pita Liquids for T3. My office-mates and I have long been obsessed with his dry shampoo, but to overlook the rest of the products in this range would be a mistake. And the intriguing story behind the products is exemplary of one of those ah-ha moments that creates truly meaningful products.
Orlando, whose origins are on the runway and who has been doing shows for more than 25 years, was the first to recognize the need for products that were fast, effective, and most importantly, did not damage the models’ hair. In the typically frenzied backstage environment, there is no time to properly wash and style each model’s hair; thus, their tresses are often the victim of damaging hot tools and styling products that get the job done but leave the hair in a pathetic condition. To counteract the damaging effects (putting the “care” in “hair care.” aw.), Orlando turned into an impromptu chemist/chef, wrestling with the products at hand and often mixing them (mousse + conditioner, for example) to achieve the desired results. He then took his innovation one step further and joined forces with T3 as a platform to launch his own line of products.
The products’ functionality adeptly addresses both components of styling that Orlando originally recognized as obstacles: 1. no time to wash and 2. hot hot heat + hair = :(. All products can be applied to dry hair – even dirty hair thanks to the dry shampoo – so they are super efficient; and, they work with the heat from blowdryers and irons. The heat from these tools actually enhances the conditioning elements of the products so styling is achieved without a hitch and the hair is left with luxurious, nourishing vitamins and proteins that leave it in better condition.
Chris described Orlando’s dedication to the line, which is manufactured in a factory in New Jersey, as total: he has spent countless hours with the chemists making sure each product functions to his exact specifications and even customized the signature scent of the collection. The first product from the line was Plump, a volumizer that leaves hair full and polished, and Chris told me one of his favorites to use is Elevate. I couldn’t agree more — it’s the only product I have ever used on my hair that has made it totally straight without sacrificing any volume or making it look flat.
So here we are today; regular gals like ourselves can easily access the products that make hair fabulous. He truly is a man of the people – when Chris asked him for some used bottles of products to review, he gifted me with my own shiny new set of every product from the line! YAY pour moi. So far other than using the dry shampoo I am obsessed with Boost, a lightweight cuticle smoother that goes on ends and works with your blowdryer’s heat to protect them from splitting.
One more thing. I know this sounds like a full-on advertisement for this line, but other than the goodies I have not received any form of payment. jk. I just think it’s a really good and smart story (and inspiring for the inventors out there!) and hope you guys do too. Below, some of my fave of Orlando’s creations.
Update: Everyone has been asking me why I chose that Purple mag shot of the nekkid models to headline this. It’s all about the hair! Hair and shoes make a girl happy.
