Fashionspeak Fridays: Beyond Vanity: The History and Power of Hairdressing

Join Elizabeth L. Block, author of Beyond Vanity, in conversation with hair care legend Frédéric Fekkai for an insightful look at women’s hair as a cultural site of meaning in the early United States. Block will discuss multiple substantive categories of place and space within which hair had pronounced impact, including the preparatory places of the bedroom, hair salon, and enslaved peoples’ quarters, as well as the presentation spaces of parties, fairs, stages, and workplaces. Elizabeth L. Block is an art historian, senior editor in the Publications and Editorial Department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the author of Dressing Up: The Women Who Influenced French Fashion (MIT Press). Frédéric Fekkai is a name that has become synonymous with luxury, style, and innovation in the world of hair care. Books will be available for purchase. Powerful hairdressing is highly encouraged!