The square of Sophie Marceau in
La Boum
, it is to him that we owe it.
Jean-Marc Maniatis was considered the hairdresser of the stars and saw the heads of Mireille d'Arc, Vanessa Paradis and even Patricia Kaas pass through his hands.
But it was also he who signed one of the most iconic transformations in the history of French music.
In 1991, Mylène Farmer, who was to release the song
Désenchantée
, entrusted her with her long red hair for a metamorphosis that will go down in history.
“When a celebrity adopts a short cut, it necessarily marks the spirits.
And encourages customers a lot to follow his example”, analyzes Alexandre Protti, who has worked for the brand for twenty-seven years and is now in charge of its management.
Cut on dry hair
But why such a craze for the Maniatis style?
The signature of the one who started at 17 as a studio hairdresser for
Elle
and
Marie Claire
magazines is revolutionary: the cut on dry hair.
“In the 1970s, models didn't want to give up their lengths, so when short haircuts were needed, hairdressers resorted to wigs.
It was while working on this synthetic hair that couldn't stand being wet that Jean-Marc had the idea of reproducing this cutting process on dry hair”, sums up the person responsible for passing on the heritage of the Maniatis name.
An avant-garde process combined with attention to detail and excellence.
A passion for the job that he made it a point of honor to pass on to his teams.
“When the clients came, he wanted them to have their hair done the way he worked.
He didn't cut hair, he sculpted it.
He was very demanding.
He thus explained in training that it did not matter if a cut took 1h30, it had to be taken”.
Besides that of Mylène Farmer would have taken between 2 hours and 2h30.
In video, the clip Disenchanted by Mylène Farmer
"Really shy"
“I remember that she too was very demanding.
He is someone who really controls his image.
But she wanted something that would change, be more dynamic,” recalls André Delahaigue, who worked for the brand for forty-five years and was the star hairdresser's personal assistant when he started out.
He was present during the session in the living room on rue Marbeuf, in the 8th arrondissement, which saw the big names of the time parading (from Alain Delon to Philippe Noiret via the Funès family).
“She was hidden under a hood, accompanied by her manager.
She seemed really shy to me.
In video, Mylène Farmer feat.
Aaron
Customers ask for “the cut of Mylène Farmer”
The hairdresser and the artist discuss her expectations before moving on to the cut.
A somewhat special session, therefore, which is immortalized by photographer Marianne Rosenstiehl.
"Jean-Marc did not want to be paid by celebrities but in exchange he liked that the session be photographed to be relayed in the press", confides the former assistant to the hairdresser of the stars.
If the song
Désenchantée
remains etched in people's minds, it is in particular thanks to its clip (with two versions, one of which is 10 minutes long) which is a real punch in the context of the crisis with the Gulf War.
But also because the visual marks a turning point, the public discovering a new Mylène Farmer with short hair.
In an interview granted to the magazine
Coiffure Beauté International
, in 1989 the singer already hinted at her intentions.
"Maybe I'll cut my hair.
The decision is not easy to make but I really like the boyish style that Jane Birkin had at the time of
Je t'aime moi non plus
.
You will see me with short hair but not for a year.
If the transformation was a milestone, it probably did not convince the artist who quickly let his hair grow back.
“A lot of customers came asking us for Mylène Farmer's haircut.
It was already a phenomenon at the time.
But I think her fans didn't agree, however, and preferred her with her long hair.
It is therefore a relative success”, concludes André Delahaigue, who is now a consultant.