Antoine de Paris

Who was Antoine de Paris?

Antoni "Antek" Cierplikowski became the world's first celebrity hairdresser when he opened the salon Antoine de Paris in Paris and became known as Monsieur Antoine.

He was born in Sieradz and learnt hairdressing by working for his uncle in Łódź. He moved to Paris in 1901 where he 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. When she appeared hatless on the arm of a royal prince, this caused a sensation and other fashionable ladies then wanted to have their hair styled by le petit russe.

He started a fashion for a short bob cut in 1909 which was inspired by Joan of Arc. He then introduced the shingle cut in the 1920s 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.