Monday, September 10, 2018

Kenneth Battelle at Home



"The top". "An institution". The "Secretary of Grooming". These were just some of the titles and accolades given to Kenneth, the legendary hairdresser who tended the locks of Jacqueline Kennedy, Lee Radziwill, Brooke Astor, Audrey Hepburn, and Marilyn Monroe, to name just a few of his high-profile clients. Although Kenneth did have a last name (it was Battelle), he became so famous that he was always referred to by his first name only. You'll recall that it was Billy Baldwin whom Kenneth hired in the early 1960s to decorate his Manhattan salon, a Brighton Pavilion fantasy of bamboo and tented rooms.  Baldwin once wrote, "I'm  told a woman will keep dentists and dinner dates waiting before she'll miss an appointment at Kenneth's." But for all of the glamour and celebrity surrounding his salon and his clientele, Kenneth never seemed to lose his head, saying, "What I do is only a shampoo away from being nothing."

His lack of pretension comes across in these photos of his East Side penthouse, which were published in the February 1989 issue of HG. (Incidentally, the following year brought Kenneth much grief when his salon burned to the ground; receiving no insurance money for his loss and unable to rebuild his salon, he moved his business to the Helmsley Palace Hotel first and later the Waldorf-Astoria.)  Although elegantly appointed, his home was neither grand nor overblown. I'm intrigued by Kenneth's curious blend of styles and furnishings. The apartment's finishes were sleek, modern, and very suited to the night: dark-brown walls in both the living room and bedroom; what appears to be a polished brass fireplace mantel; and a kitchen entirely sheathed in mirror and lit by track lighting. And yet, the apartment was furnished rather traditionally, too, with French chairs, displays of antique boxes, and a Brunschwig chintz used throughout the bedroom. It was an apartment of a man who had confidence in his taste.

The best shot of the entire feature, however, has to be that of Kenneth reading the morning paper in his garden and wearing a dressing gown, which kept his work attire, a suit, pristine. If that photo doesn't perfectly capture the immaculate ways of a bygone generation, I don't know what does.








All photos from HG, February 1989, Eric Boman photographer.

13 comments:

  1. Hello Jennifer, How I have missed your posts like this! For the portrait, I think that most people would have guessed an English Lord or something of the like. The apartment inevitably recalls Elizabeth Enright's sharp-eyed description: "Perfect of its kind. A bachelor's nest, of course. A great many valuable little objects on tables."
    --Jim

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    1. Jim, What a charming description and so appropriate for this setting.

      As I wrote this post, I kept thinking of what Kenneth's reaction would be to the popularity of man buns and tattoos today. i assume he would not have approved. He obviously took great pride in his appearance.

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  2. Love the Japanese cinnabar lacquered table and the unpaired lamps. Superb style. Mary

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    1. Mary, I do, too. He had such interesting pieces.

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  3. Loved this remembrance of Kenneth-what impeccable taste! Thank you!

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    1. Ellen, So glad to know that you enjoyed it!

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  4. Anonymous11:45 AM

    Great article Jennifer, I've missed your posts! Great design is just timeless, isn't it? Thank you. LK

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    1. LK, Very true. To think that these photos are almost 30 years old, and yet, it's a home I still find appealing...even that mirrored kitchen with the track lighting.

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  5. It's a true tragedy that "immaculate" is a word and concept that has gone the way of the Dodo bird. When one sees celebrities today, often photographed at the airport or some other public place, unshowered, unshaven, baseball cap on head, messy clothes, one despairs. Who thinks this is sexy? Can one imagine Cary Grant unshowered and unshaven, wearing a baseball cap to cover his dirty hair? Ah, for the days when looking like a lady or a gentleman was something to which the common man aspired, instead of today's "homeless and heroin addict" look. Thanks, Jennifer! Hope we'll be seeing The Peak of Chic regularly again! You have been missed!

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    1. Don't even get me started on the way people dress when flying. They look as though they just rolled out of bed.

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  6. Nice piece. Elegant guy!
    Welcome back, you've been missed.
    And I've pre-ordered your book too.

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    1. Thank you, Foodie! Hope you enjoy the book.

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  7. Kenneth did my hair in the early '70's when I was about 21 years old. It wasn't something suitable for a young woman, especially in the days of Marianne Faithful and that relaxed era. It was more of the "do" he gave his older, high-profile clients. It was helmet hair: Tease, Aquanet. Tease, Aquanet. Brenda

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