Sassooned

One of the perks of writing a fashion blog and an online style column is that fashion people want to give me stuff. And I want to take it. Especially last Thursday, when I was offered a tour of the new Sassoon salon on Boylston Street, a preview of their Autumn/Winter collection, and a haircut on the house. Jackpot!

To be perfectly honest, it was the first time I'd ever set foot in a Sassoon salon. My fairly high-maintenance color and tendencies towards cheapskatery have had me going to Blaine (or Empire, or whatever the heck they're calling themselves these days), where a cut, color, and a blow dry cost me around $25. The work is done by students who usually soak me during the shampoo, but for the price I keep my mouth shut and wear old clothes.

Needless to say, I was pretty impressed with the level of posh-ness at Sassoon. I was introduced to my stylist - an uber-fashionable young woman named Kathleen Sullivan - and was then whisked away to the most comfortable shampoo chair I've ever had the pleasure of sitting in. (I'm pleased to report that my clothing remained completely dry.) Kathleen then quickly and confidently snip-snipped her way around my head to reveal my new-and-improved look. Someone brought me a cappuccino (no, seriously) while my hair was blow-dried, flat-ironed, and spritzed with some kind of mist that smelled like watermelon. Finally, the big reveal.

Knowing I'd never be able to truly replicate Kathleen's expert flat-ironing, I decided to take photos of my new haircut as soon as I arrived home. I purposely posed in front of a Cassandre poster in the top photo, because I thought that - like the artwork - my hair had a 1930s French vibe to it. The second photo was meant to show off the sharpness of my bangs, but instead looks a bit like a well-styled mug shot. But, you get the idea.

All in all, I'm not really sure how I'm ever going to go back to Blaine after I've been spoiled like this.