When you step into Pepper Pastor’s new hair salon, tucked away in a quiet corner of South Street Seaport on Front Street, you’ll feel as though you’ve stepped into some wing of the Metropolian Museum of Art: you’ll notice solid elevator doors with a fleur de lis crests from the 1930s separating the shampoo wash bowls, four pristine hairdresser units, and a sleek glass cashier filled with unique pieces of jewelry.
The jewelry comes from various artists in the country and is hand picked by Pepper herself. What you’ll also notice is an ochre colored setee inspired by the era of Coco Chanel, and an atmosphere tinged with a bit of the edginess a la Tim Burton to lend the set some film noir flair.
Clawed Chandelier
Since there are only four hairdressing stands, the aura and feel are very intimate. Pepper herself has shockingly red hair just the color of Joan Holloway’s in Mad Men, and tells me she majored in Art History. Hence the eye for detail to the interiors, light fixtures that are both eccentric and interesting (magnifying glasses with iron claws at the ends), and an attempt to use the space to maximum efficiency without it looking as cluttered as a typically New York shoebox space.
My hairstylist, Christina Fillorama, gave me a layered U-shaped razor cut and neatly shaved off three inches of my long strands (they were bordering on wig-like status anyway). The face framing haircut was not my only makeover: a corner of the store is filled with Youngblood Cosmetics and I received an eyeshadow, foundation, blush and liner expertise (my eyelids were dusted with a mauve-like color called Prism, wiht Bordeaux on the lid, and a touch of Concord on the lash line).
The store also carries sparkling lipglosses by Armour Cosmetics (I ended up using something akin to a Fire Engine red with a shade called Barracuda).
I would definitely come back to the salon for the intimate attention, the quality of the products (they use Oribe and Philip B), and the chance at getting a haircut in a settling that is so very Old Hollywood with a modernist edge.
It’s your chance for a Screen Siren moment.
– Charu Suri
