Cityorkers

What makes you a real Paryorker? The fact that I do business in both cities, that I spend 8 days a month in New York and the rest in other cities around the globe where my salons are.

How did you become one? I think you become one without even realizing it, just by going about your business.

Do you know any other Paryorkers? Mostly people in the fashion industry. Otherwise, I don’t know that many. I’m more of the serious worker type than a jetsetter.

How do these two cities contribute to balancing your personal and/or your professional life? Paris and New York are major cities where the development potential is enormous, and my business couldn’t do without them.

What’s the difference between the New Yorker you and the Parisian you? There isn’t any. I’m a Parisian at heart. When I’m in New York I never “dress up” like a New Yorker. It would show a lack of modesty, simplicity and personality to do so.

What’s your fondest memory of Paris? I was 24 and still cutting hair. I was about to close the salon when a man came in and pleaded to have his hair cut. The way he asked was so nice I couldn’t refuse. To thank me, he invited me to the concert he was giving that night at the Salle Pleyel (Parisian concert hall). It was Rostropovitch.

What’s the first thing you do when you set foot in Paris? That’s a question for tourists! (smile) I don’t do anything in particular because I’m so used to going back and forth.

What’s the best time of day for you in Paris? I am definitely a morning person!

Do you have a ritual that’s intimately related to the city? Not really, my lifestyle is very structured, ritualized, I guess you could say, but it’s the type of lifestyle that goes anywhere.

What excites you about Paris? I love this city, where everything’s so beautiful. It’s like living in an art museum. It gets even more beautiful all the time.

What annoys you? People who moan and complain when they live in a magnificent city.