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Kenneth Battelle

Everyone liked it hot in the 1960s when Kenneth, the first hairdresser to gain first-name fame, traveled with Marilyn Monroe, created Jackie Kennedy’s bouffant, styled Lauren Bacall and Audrey Hepburn, received the only Coty Award bestowed on a stylist and put a 17,000-square-foot salon in the former Vanderbilt mansion, where uniformed maids served finger sandwiches. The topper: his coif for Monroe, the day she sang “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” to JFK.

by Web Editor
July 11, 2011
1 min to read


His Work:

Everyone liked it hot in the 1960s when Kenneth, the first hairdresser to gain first-name fame, traveled with Marilyn Monroe, created Jackie Kennedy's bouffant, styled Lauren Bacall and Audrey Hepburn, received the only Coty Award bestowed on a stylist and put a 17,000-square-foot salon in the former Vanderbilt mansion, where uniformed maids served finger sandwiches. The topper: his coif for Monroe, the day she sang "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to JFK.

Why He's Influential: When he saved Monroe's hair from over-bleaching and perming, her fame reached new heights.  In the 1970s, he put helmet-head to bed by creating a soft, pretty-hair look for Vogue, Glamour and Harper's Bazaar, beauty bibles of the time. Ultimately, he coifed Marilyn for her last photo shoot (Vogue) and cut Jackie's hair the morning she left for Dallas, underscoring that beloved hairdressers share the ups and downs of a lifetime.

What Influences Him: "Necessity."

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