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Antoine de Paris

Antoine de Paris
Born Antoni Cierplikowski
(1884-12-24)24 December 1884
Sieradz, Poland
Died 5 July 1976(1976-07-05) (aged 91)
Sieradz, Poland
Citizenship Poland
France
Occupation Hairdresser

Antoni "Antek" Cierplikowski (Polish pronunciation: [anˈtɔni t͡ɕɛrpliˈkɔfski]; 1884 – 1976) was a Polish hairdresser who became the world's first celebrity hairdresser when he opened the salon Antoine de Paris in Paris and became known as Monsieur Antoine. Among his clients were world-famous female personalities like Coco Chanel, Queen Marie of Romania, Sarah Bernhardt, Greta Garbo, U.S. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and Brigitte Bardot.

Cierplikowski was born in Sieradz, Poland, and learnt hairdressing by working for his uncle in Łódź. In December 1901, he moved to Paris, France. He married Berthe Astier on 24 January 1909 in London, England, where they were both learning English.

After moving to Paris, Cierplikowski worked in the salon at Galeries Lafayette. During the summer season, he worked in Deauville, following the high society of Paris who vacationed there. In 1904, he created a stylish coiffure for Lily de Moure when she lost her fashionable hat. Her appearance without a hat on the arm of a royal prince caused a sensation; other fashionable ladies soon decided to have their hair styled by the man they erroneously dubbed le petit russe (the little Russian).

In 1909, Cierplikowski started a fashion for a short bob cut which was inspired by Joan of Arc. In the 1920s, he introduced the shingle cut which became popular with daring young women — the Bloomsbury set and flappers. In 1924, he dyed his dog's hair blue. This blue hair was taken up by the first professional interior designer, Lady Elsie De Wolfe Mendl, which started a new fad. He created the iconic “garconne” hairstyle for the likes of Coco Chanel, Josephine Baker, and Edith Piaf. His creations were rumoured to cost up to 500 francs - more than £1,000 in today's money. In the 1930s, he introduced blonde highlights and a style of upswept hair.


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