Louis Alexandre Raimon

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Louis Alexandre Raimon
Born September 6, 1922 (1922-09-06) (age 85)
Saint Tropez, France
Died January 2008
Nationality French
Labels Alexandre de Paris

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)

[edit] 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.

[edit] Decorations

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