Oh, the stories she could tell.
Cheng Tan sees the unfashionable side of the haute couture fashion shows in New York and Paris, from which she recently returned.
The problem is “mum’s the word” under the La Jolla, California, salon owner’s hair styling contract.
While cutting edge-costumed models sashayed down the runway, she found herself unceremoniously washing the hair of one Phillip Lim model with hand soap in an ageing building’s sink so low the model had to kneel on all fours. The emergency wash was to remove wax used to create the model’s hair-do in a previous show that day.
At 35, Tan is one of a select brigade of hair stylists recruited by top fashion designers. She has been asked to do a “fresh shower” look as well as embed myriad items — brass birds, veils, flowers, star burst ornaments, etc. — in trendy tresses. She has styled for an androgynous look where sometimes the only way she could tell the male and female models apart was by their handbags.
Tan, the daughter of Cambodian refugees, was born in San Diego in City Heights, graduating from Crawford High School followed by a no-frills beauty school.
In 2005, she went to work as an assistant for local hair stylist Travis Parker. She also joined up with L’Oreal, training in Paris and New York and teaching colour, cut and styling tricks to hair stylists.
Her entree into the bosom of the haute couture world came through L’Oreal. She was invited to do a fashion show with celebrated hairstylist Odile Gilbert, a veteran who’s worked with top New York and French fashion designers and legendary photographers, including Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton and Annie Leibovitz.
For nine years, Tan honed her show skills working back stage with Gilbert during the week long spring and fall fashion shows in New York. Last October, after a Louis Vuitton photo shoot at the Salk Institute with hair stylist Holli Smith, Tan was asked to assist herat the 2019 Balenciaga Fashion Week show in Paris in March. “It was a huge honour to be part of her team,” Tan said.
Tan has styled hair for celebrity models, including Lindsey Wixon, Grace Elizabeth, Victoria Secret’s Marisa Lee Miller, Sports Illustrated model Ashley Graham, industry “Model of the Year” Bella Hadid, actress Cara Delevingne and “The Hills” TV star Lauren Conrad. She has worked fashion shows for Hermes, Zac Posen, Carolina Herrera, Rodarte, Oscar de la Renta, Phillip Lim and Balenciaga.
After Travis Parker vacated his salon on Girard Avenue in La Jolla about seven years ago, she held her breath and jumped into ownership, renaming it Koda Salon. Her San Diego customers have included Robert Downey Jr. (“a really nice guy”) and model Cindy Crawford.
Tan’s next dream? To style for the house of Chanel.
If she’s lucky, that may happen this October in the next Paris Fashion Week. “It doesn’t pay well,” she admits. “But I wouldn’t change it for the world.” — tca/dpa
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