Kevin Mancuso - The Mane Thing: Foreword by Cindy Crawford

Copyright 1999 by Alias Books, Inc. and Kevin Mancuso

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, includinginformation storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who mayquote brief passages in a review.

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First eBook Edition: December 2009

ISBN: 978-0-316-09336-1

During the twenties, machine technology hadnt quite kept up with the popularity of getting a hair permanent.This left women to be subjected to a torturous and arduous ordeal, one that was often quite dangerous, too. The perming machinewas an archaic contraption that consisted mainly of heated rods suspended from overhead, which were clamped onto the subjectstender hair. In this memorable picture we see socialite Mrs. Agnes OLaughlin and her dog merrily awaiting the outcome ofa day of beauty, along with two salon technicians. Photo courtesy of UPI/Corbis-Bettmann.

Fabulous model James King has a superabundance of beautiful blond hair, here being shown to great effectwith the use of a handheld fan. Photographed by Don Flood.

This book is dedicated to Rory Bernal, the first person I worked with in the business and my best friend. I miss you and wishyou were here to share this with me.

Beautiful Kashanna Evans has that ever rarer occurrence, a natural afro. Believe me, just to maintain it atthis incredible length is no easy accomplishment. And to prove what a change your hair can make to your appearance, when shearrived on the set neither I nor photographer Neal Barr recognized her, even though the last time we both saw her was onlya few months before. But then her hair had been blown out straight, and she looked totally different.

lucky lady This portrait (one of my favorites) was actually the last shot of a long day of shooting. Basically, Cindy just wanted tolie down. The fact that her hair and makeup} still looked great after countless pictures, combined with the worm amber glowof the late-day sun, created one of those moments that make the work worth it all. Fab photog Sante DOrozio captured it soperfectly the picture ended up on the cover of Spanish Vogue.

Can I just start out by saying how proud I am of my friend Kevin for doing this book? Having dabbled in the literary worldmyself (yes, that is a joke), I do know how much goes into actually putting a book togetherclearing the photos, arrangingthe shoots, doing the writing, selling the concept, not to mention meeting after meeting. Hooray, Kevinyouve done it. Thiskind of thing is really the best part of where I am in my careerwatching my friends (and myself) grow up and do our own thing.

Ive been working with Kevin for years. In fact, we started working together pretty much at the beginning of my introductionto the fabulous world of fashion. One spring night, over dinner at my house, we were discussing this foreword and I askedhim if he remembered when we first met. Were not 100% sure, but we think it was at Eric Bowmans studio, where we were shootingan ad for some eyewear campaign. Kevins memory is clearer about this day than mine. Heres why: He had set my hair in Velcrorollers and was going for that eighties bigger-is-better look (that I still cant help loving). Apparently, it was a typicalNew York City summer day95 degrees and lots of humidity. Unfortunately, there was no air-conditioning in the studio and all that hot, muggy air was blowing through thewindows and into my hair. Well, as if you didnt already know, hair and humidity dont mix, and Kevin was, understandably,quite frustrated. Nothing he did could keep the curl or fullness in my hair. Our first job together turned out to be a disaster.It just goes to show you that even hair magicians like Kevin Mancuso have bad hair dayseven if its not their hair!

Cut to over a decade later. Ive done more jobs that I can remember with Kevin. Everything from magazine covers (Cosmopolitan, Allure, Vogue, et al.) to Revlon ads. I love working with Kevin for two reasons. One, hes extremely funny, and we always laugh and laughand laugh, and that makes the day just slip by. Two, I totally trust his sense of style and technique, and believe me, thattakes a lot off my mind. My hair is literally putty in his hands.

Im sure you could figure out on your own that Im a bit picky about my hair. Professionally, it is a big part of my trademark.Thats why its crucial that it look right and that I feel good about it. Im a girl (okay, maybe at thirty-two thats pushingit) and I want my hair to feel sexy and pretty, and for my husband to be able to get his hands through it. One of the advantagesto my line of work is the chance to work with the most gifted artists in the business, and I do mean artists. And if you havehalf a brain (and that isnt saying we all do), you cant help but pick up a thing or twoeven if its just by osmosis. (Twohours in hair and makeup is a lot of time to read Page Six.) One of the many things Ive learned from Kevin is understandinghow important the texture of hair is. For him, hairstyles come and go, but the basis of hair care is all about texture. First thing in the morning, hell take his time with my hair, layering in the texture with different products and appliances.Once the texture is set, my hair looks great all dayeven if Im outside, in front of a wind fan, or flipping my head up anddown for those hair commercials youve probably seen. Now I know it might sound a bit complicated or radical not talking interms of beehives, shags, or pageboys, but relax, Kevins going to walk you right through it. And it wont hurt a bit.

Kevin, thanks for all the great times and for giving such good head! I love you!

Cindy

October 1998

easy does it Photographer Arthur Elgort excels in, among other things, effortlessly capturing a subjects natural beauty. The wonderfully nonhectic mood around his set helps, too. Put Cindy in this equation, and a day of shooting can feel justlike hanging out with your best friends. The only difference is you get some great pictures that end up as a spread in BritishVogue.

My most vivid memories of early childhood involve the color of womens hair. In Brooklyn and Staten Island (where I was broughtup) hair came in all different shades of the rainbowfrom apricot to rust, blue rinses to purple grays, and every once ina while Id see a double-process blond, looking way too yellow. The hairdos, to me, often resembled food, like artichokesand cotton candy. There was even the one that looked just like a bag of Jiffy Pop (you know, when the container is all puffedup from being heated right before you rip open the foil). All very curious and interesting looks, especially to a kid.