Vidal

Britain notes the passing of Sephardic Jew and early hard-knocks East Ender Vidal Sassoon, inventor of the 'bob', and part of the original "Cool Britannia" - one of the top icons of the Swinging Sixties with the Beatles, Carnaby Street, Twiggy and the Union Jack, says hair designer and friend Nicky Clarke in today's Times. Sassoon threw out the daily maintenance required for the 1950s perm or "beehive" - my Grandmother - preferring "wash and go" styles that liberated women from the hair salon , freeing their time to smoke Virginia Slims, roll marijuana cigarettes and participate in free love. Also work. Sassoon, of course, made instantly famous from Twiggy followed by Mary Quant then Roman Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby" where he was flown to LA to create Mia Farrow's pixie cut.  He never looked back.

I love this photo of Sassoon, from the ap, especially the tie and matching kerchief. From a hair salon on Bond St to a £300 million fortune : he was an original.

"If you don't look good, we don't look good."
--Vidal Sassoon