Who

Possibly New York's most famous hair stylist, Frédéric Fekkai's been cutting hair in the city for a quarter century. If you're a beautiful socialite, chances are he's also tried to hit on you.

Backstory

Born to Moroccan parents in Aix-en-Provence, Fekkai worked as a hairdresser in Paris before relocating to New York in the early 1980s at the age of 25. In 1989, he opened a salon of his own on the ninth floor of Bergdorf Goodman, and quickly attained star-stylist status. By 1996, he was on the move, opening a 12,500-square-foot salon/spa on the top five floors of the Chanel townhouse on East 57th street. (John Barrett took over at Bergdorf's.) A decade later, he moved his operations to an even larger space—16,500 square feet—on the top floor of Henri Bendel, replacing what had previously been the Garren salon. Not surprisingly, Fekkai is once again in expansion mode. He's opened a second location in SoHo as well outposts in LA, Palm Beach, Dallas, and Greenwich. He also oversees an eponymous product line.

Of note

Fekkai has never been viewed as the most talented stylist in town; it's his charm and charisma that attracts a roster of socialites and celebs, including occasional clients like Hilary Swank, Salma Hayek, Ashley Judd, Heidi Klum and Gisele Bundchen. He's also known for nurturing the careers of countless stylists who have gone on to be stars themselves, such as Julien Farel, Oscar Blandi, and John Barrett. These days, much of Fekkai's attention is on expanding his growing line of shampoos, conditioners and styling products, which can be found at stores like Saks, Neiman Marcus, Sephora, and Fred Segal. He says his line generated more than $55 million in sales in 2006—or more than double what his salons made snipping strands of hair.

Drama

It's par for the course that junior stylists will leave and start salons of their own, but in Fekkai's case, it's been so commonplace that he's resorted to legal action to stop the tide of defections. When three top stylists, Alain Pinon, Susanna Romano and Kao Flynn-Hui, left to form Salon AKS, Fekkai filed suit. They later retaliated with Hui's Beyond the Blonde, a roman à clef about "Jean Luc," an arrogant hair-cutter to the stars who resembles, in the words on one critic, an "absolute monster."

On screen

Fekkai made an appearance on the seventh season of America's Next Top Model. He was also a guest judge on hairdo reality show Shear Genius, critiquing contestants' tonsorial talents alongside Sally Hershberger.

Personal

One of the city's most notorious Casanovas—David Patrick Columbia affectionately calls him "Lover Boy"—Fekkai has dated a string of glamorous, rich women over the years, including J&J heiress Libet Johnson and Patricia Duff, the ex-wife of Ron Perelman. Fekkai has a son, Alex, with his first wife, Elizabeth. He recently settled down again, marrying Shirin von Wulffen, the German-born director of PR for Yves St. Laurent.

Habitat

Fekkai purchased a $7.95 million duplex on Fifth Avenue in 2006 with the help of Corcoran's Carrie Chiang. The prewar pad, which was once featured in Architectural Digest, features four fireplaces, two staircases, and 3,500 square feet of living space. His place was recently redesigned by A-list interior decorator Robert Couturier.

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