Sterling Hairdressing Parlour & Barber Shop

It's Oh So Quiet

2011-08-25T02:56:00.000-07:00

50’s Fling

Guys, Dolls, Cool-cats, hipsters and all-purpose nostalgists of this idealized era celebrated Rose Seidler’s annual 50’s fair ‘Sweet 16’ in literally swinging style today. As is usual once a year, the Rose Seidler estate tucked away in leafy Wahroonga was flooded with crowds of all ages decked out in their best 50’s threads for the ultimate celebration of all things fifties. I and my unlikely gang of rebels without a cause, neurotic fur-clad housewives, Hollywood honeys and rockabilly babes were nursing the effects of a post-Saturday night hangover, however, with little more than five hours sleep we slapped on the ol’ cats eyes and set off, a paper bag of scones and jam in hand, for what promised to be another great day of 50’s fun times.
Ok, so the weather was a little miserable, like our hangovers, but we made the most of it by taking the opportunity to tour the iconic Rose Seidler House, sample the retro foodie favorites (Kate opted for the hot dog which proved a great remedy for the unpleasant physiological effects of the night before) , shopping, shopping, shopping, casting cats eyes in the direction of tattooed rockabilly barbers (Surry Hills ‘Sterling’ Barbers) and wondering why this breed of real man died out with the decade; drinking coke with a straw and getting all down-right nostalgic knowing that Monday would be just a regular day in the twenty-first century, we’d have to wait a whole year before we could time-warp, or more appropriately, jive back on down to Rose Seidler.
As usual, there was a great line up of live music; this year Drey Rollan Band & Paulie Bignell headlined. The crowds were boppin’ till they droppin’ only to make themselves comfortable on picnic blankets spread out on the hillside for the afternoons fashion parade and to hear the announcement of this year’s best dressed.
We spent most of the day in search of bargain collectables and managed to pick up some sweet finds – records, jewelry, accessories, and other curious nick-knacks (Kate and I were unable to resist pony and kitten shaped glass Avon bottles from the era; tre kitsch and still with the original perfumes inside).

words Rachel Dorn photography Holly Bourne horrypotter/tumblr.com

Sydney Morning Herald!!

2011-08-25T02:40:00.000-07:00

Instyle Magazine

2011-08-22T17:20:00.000-07:00

Timeout Sydney!

2011-07-27T01:07:00.000-07:00

So today Time Out Sydney came out with the stunning Sarah Doyle on the cover.
We had the pleasure of Styling her hair on the day, she is a living doll!
The amazing Daniel Boud shot the photos and the uber talented Myffy Rigby
was the mastermind behind the whole piece, be sure to grab a copy and read it
cover to cover!!

Beauty Spot

2011-07-06T03:10:00.000-07:00

How to have pin-up perfect hair
Tuesday, April 12, 2011

By Melissa Pearce

Retro hairstyles can take some time in front of the mirror but you're guaranteed to make a va-va-voom entrance if you pay a little bit extra attention to detail. We spoke to Australia's top creative stylists about the tools and techniques behind mid-century-inspired glamour 'dos.

Dita Von Teese's set waves

Tony Vacher, owner of Sterling Hairdressing Parlour in Sydney, is an expert in retro-modern hair and takes us through the burlesque star's immaculate do.

1. On dry hair, evenly apply a heat protection spray, such as KMS Curl Up Hot Spiral Spray, and a setting lotion, such as L'Oréal Professionnel Valence.

2. Once your rollers are hot, section the hair into three. by Parting your hair on the side as Dita has to form two sections at the front of your head then take a part across the top of your head from ear to ear (to create one large section at the back).

3. from side part at front wind hair in a downward direction around a roller pulling toward your face and secure with a roller pin ,continue down both front sections c try and keep your hair smooth.

4. Start at the back section by placing a roller on the crown (top of head) and winding in a backwards direction. Take vertical sections and set in a brickwork pattern until you have worked your way down to back of your neck.

5. When all rollers are in place apply a hairspray, such as Kevin Murphy Session Spray or, if you want something a bit more retro, try Cedel in the pink, green or black can. Leave your curlers in until they have gone cold and then carefully unroll while still trying to keep the curl in place.

6. Take a soft bristle brush (a Mason Pearson is ideal but if your budget doesn't stretch that far, any boar bristle brush should do the trick) and brush the hair back away from the front hairline but down at sides and back until soft waves start to form.

7. Holding the end of the hair around your hand, smooth the curl towards your face and roll under at the back. Smooth and tuck one side behind your ear and secure with a bobby pin or vintage clip. Apply an even layer of hairspray and you're done.

Time Flies When Your Having Fun!

2011-07-06T03:03:00.000-07:00

So its been a month more or less since our last post!
And what a busy month its been, Check out Tony in the latest
issue of Timeout Magazine as he shares his style secrets.
Also don't forget to pick up a copy of Deadbeat issue 18 to see
the sweet Miss Elixir Black whose raven locks we had the pleasure
of styling with magnificent makeup by Angelique Hogan.
We must also say a very belated welcome to our newest staff member
James and his lovely dog Paablo.

We have done some other exciting bits too but they are still under wraps
so you'll have to stay tuned until were allowed to share them with you!

Busy Bees

2011-06-07T01:43:00.000-07:00

Lots happening at Sterling, last week we had the lovely Joan (JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN) and her band from the USA into the barbershop to shoot an acoustic clip for the ABC she is playing The factory Theatre this week in Enmore. Tony was also shot for an upcoming Sunday paper supplement on
vintage culture and the latest issue of Marie Claire hit the shelves July 2011 featuring both our Hairdressing Parlour and Barbershop as well as many glamourous familiar faces most of which get their hair styled at Sterling!!

100 Years Of Sailor Jerry

2011-05-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who came down to the 100 Years of Sailor Jerry party at Lo-Fi bar on Wednesday.
The good people at Sailor Jerry made sure the rum was flowing amidst the barber cuts and shaves,
tattoos by the amazing Bodie and Sanchez from Shanghai Charlies and the crowd was entertained by the likes
of Lanie Lane, Pat Capocci and The Snowdroppers (all of whom were proud to say come to us to keep their hair looking sharp!)
As well as rum cocktails in every imaginable combination there were tasty pork sandwiches and burgers to keep everyone fuelled!
A big thanks to The Sailor Jerry Crew for getting us involved.

*All Photos by Daniel Boud

FLYING HIGH

2011-04-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

If you find yourself lucky enough to be flying off on a Virgin flight in April
Be sure to check out Page 67 of the latest in flight magazine Voyeur!
Tony gives away his some of his favourite haunts in Sydney!! Yay Sterling!!

Lady Luck Rockabilly Weekender Katoomba NSW

2011-02-27T00:02:00.000-08:00

On the 29th of January we teamed up with the crew from High Life Pomade
to take part in the Lady Luck Weekender at The Carrington in Katoomba.
There were Kustom cars, well dressed kats, music from Pat Cappoci, The Twilight Rhythm Boys and more, cocktails, beers and plenty of dancing.
What a day we had, a constant stream of guys queued for quiffs and left
suitably well groomed!! Well done to everyone involved it was a great day
and hopefully this festival continues to grow.

HAPPY VALENTINES!!

2011-02-11T21:32:00.000-08:00

Ok so our new years resolution is to get on top of this blog and be sure to post at every opportunity we have!
Time gets away from us, but I'm going to stay here a while an upload some goodies x x
Happy Belated New Year!! Also if your feeling loved up this weekend why not try a little old fashioned romance
and order your little sweet heart something beautiful from Rococo Flowers for Monday (Cnr of Liverpool and Bourke St) East Sydney, they have so much loveliness going on in there!!! Call them on 9357 6688.
And if you don't do it on Valentines Day just do it because you want to be swell!! x x x

CEDEL LAUNCH

2010-11-04T01:28:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the photos from the Cedel Event we had at the salon recently.

CREATIVE BRANDS
Cedel 'Big Hair is Back' Launch
Sterling Hairdresser Parlour 14 October 2010

Beauty Editors gathered at Sterling Hairdresser Parlour to celebrate 'Big Hair is back' for Cedel. Ita Buttrose, Cedel Brand Ambassador spoke of her hair over the years and the girls left with a Mad Men inspired 'Bettie' or 'Joan' do.

GREASY STUFF!!

2010-10-04T01:51:00.000-07:00

Just a note for the lads, we have some super new pomades in the barber shop.
We have had lots of great feedback including those who were avid devotees of other pomades
making the switch!! These are flying off the shelves but we have regular shipments so if you miss out
let us know we will put you on the stand by list!! We want to make sure your hair is looking sharp at all times!

CEDEL

2010-10-04T01:42:00.000-07:00

We are very excited to have a special event being held in our Hairdressing Parlour next week.
We are even more excited that the very fabulous Ita Buttrose will be talking about the brand and her hairdo's over the years!!
It is to celebrate the iconic Hairspray brand CEDEL (you know the one all of our Mothers and Grandmothers had in their bathroom cupboards) Who can resist the powdery green and pastel pink cans and that CEDEL Hairspray smell?
Tell us your favourite CEDEL memories....we will be sure to post pics when we are allowed x x

2010-09-15T23:44:00.001-07:00

So we wanted to share with you a wonderful opening we went to last Sunday of new restaurant Porteño in Sydney's Surry Hills (Cleveland Street to be exact) This amazing establishment is the newest venture of very dear friends of ours and you would be doing yourself a favour by getting down there asap! The room was filled with stylish folk most of them in wonderful vintage frocks and suits having a very good time, sipping cocktails and enjoying good music, tasty treats and impeccable service!

The bespoke interior at Porteño is worth the visit alone the attention to detail is astounding from the vintage posters of Argentinian soccer stars and the beautiful
Eva Peron, to the hand cut antique mirrored feature wall behind the bar to the truly beautiful light fittings....Oh my!! And then there's the food - Barbecued Lamb, Pork and Beef, Empanadas (the Broccoli is my favourite!) Tortilla, House made Pâté, Green beans with chickpeas, tomato and ricotta delicious!! And just when you thought you couldn't eat another thing...Dessert!!! There is so much on offer here and we wanted to Congratulate the wonderful folk at Porteno for all their hard work we love you lots x x

358 Cleveland Street, Surry Hills 02 8399 1440

2010-07-03T23:08:00.000-07:00

ALICIA WOOD
July 4, 2010

BIG skirts, pin curls and slick quiffs have made a comeback as Sydney enjoys a rockabilly revival, inspired by Mad Men, the TV show set in the pacey and stylish advertising agencies of the early 1960s.

Tony Vacher, who owns Sterling Hairdressing Parlour and Barber Shop in Surry Hills, caters exclusively to the rockabilly community.The '50s and '60s culture has been a part of his life since he saw a vintage American car drive down his street when he was 12. His aunt and uncle owned a barber's shop in London where he learnt about styling from the period.

Mr Vacher's client list has more than tripled in a year. The hairdresser said new Sydney bands such as The Snowdroppers were introducing a younger audience to rockabilly culture after a ''pretty stagnant'' decade.

Vintage clothes were part of the aesthetic, he said, but with stocks diminishing, they were expensive. ''We are wearing 50- and 60-year-old clothes and they can't last forever. Every time I take something to the dry cleaners I am scared it is going to fall apart," he said.

2010-07-03T23:04:00.000-07:00

Thank you to the lovely Alicia Wood for her piece on us in todays Sunday Herald x x
http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/fashion/just-mad-about-those-curls-girls-20100703-zuzr.html

The Agenda Daily

2010-06-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

http://sydney.theagendadaily.com/style/sterling-hairdressing-parlour-barber-shop/

Sterling Hairdressing Parlour & Barber Shop

Start spreading the news

If you dig the vibe of Frank Sinatra and his kind of lyrics serenading you

Start spreading the news

I’m leaving today

I want to be a part of it

New York, New York

then listen up, there’s a new kind of cool in town.

Imagine a place where slicked coiffes are commonplace, women with rollers in their hair sit chatting under hood dryers, and men swap funny stories while getting a fresh cut-throat shave from the parlour. Imagine no more, this is for real.

This 1950’s and 60’s inspired Hairdressing Parlour and Barber Shop is located in our very own Surry Hills! And, get this, their specialty is vintage and custom culture cuts, colouring and styling. Need we say, LOVE.

Take in any picture of your superstar dreamboat like Louise Brooks, Bettie Page, James Dean or Marlon Brando and they’ll give you just the same look. At least, kind of – depending on how good your own head is in the first place! In any event, you’ll be served any number of cups of tea and plenty of homemade biscuits.

We love it for the Mad Men vibe, the beautiful vintage barber chairs, and the shelves laden with old-fashioned hair products. And, who could forget Tony, the man behind these masterful haircuts.

Like anything this cool, it gets busy, so book at least two weeks in advance.

Excuse us now. We’re off with our picture of Ava Gardner for a style like that gorgeous woman from The Barefoot Contessa circa 1950’s. Oh, and we’ll have a nice pot of tea with that, thanks. Look at us now. ’Cos you won’t recognise us when we come out. ‘OMG – isn’t that Ava Gardner?!’

Madmen Hairstyles we LOVE

2010-04-20T19:55:00.001-07:00

2010-04-20T19:28:00.000-07:00

With the impending new season of Madmen starting in July lets take a look back at all
the fabulous hairstyles that we have seen so far....from Don to Betty to Joan and everyone in-between....the attention to detail in this series is incredible. We LOVE Madmen!!

2010-04-15T20:43:00.000-07:00

We wanted to thank the all the lovely folk who have commented on our feature in the Virgin in flight magazine for March 2010, we still haven't had a chance to see a copy so if you managed to pinch one we would be chuffed to take a look!! We are off the the vintage fair tonight to look for some hair accessories, pretty things, snoods, flowers, buttons and bows. And don't forget Saturday night at The Bridge Hotel in Rozelle is the Eddie Cochran tribute night starts at 8pm!!

http://content.voyeur.realviewtechnologies.com/djvu/Text%20Pacific/Voyeur/Mar%202010/webimages/page0000130_2.jpg

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2010-01-20T15:37:00.000-08:00

Happiest New Year to all you Sterling folk out there!!

Wanted to share this lovely little review online magazine twothousand did on us.

http://www.twothousand.com.au/shop/sterling-hairdressing-parlour-and-barber-shop/

Ah the 50s... when rampant consumerism was born, unexpected DeLorean visits were all the talk of Hill Valley and the youth of the day took real pride in their appearance - and by appearance I mean haircuts. Digging that quiff, daddy-o!

The vibe of that era is recreated lovingly at the Sterling Hairdressing Parlour and Barber Shop in Surry Hills (minus any embarrassing attempts to speak like a fifties teenager). In a converted warehouse on Brisbane Street, Tony and Louise Vacher have split a huge salon space into a section for girl cuts and a barber room for men-folk, decked out with 50s pin-ups and mysterious bottles of yummy-smelling cleansing liquids. And beer. The only thing that would make it cooler is a back alley entrance with a password and secret knock.

And the cuts? Tony wields his scissors (and clippers, cut-throat razor, shave cream, pomade, brylcream, bay rum spray, talc brush ...) with an easy prowess, delivering the complete 50s hairdressing experience. In fact he can pretty much guarantee you at least a 200% increase in dapperness.

Consider my berry razzed!

By Michael Griffiths

2009-11-26T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is beautiful Christmas holiday hair, perfect for a dazzling festive cocktail party event!! There aren't many appointments left leading up to Christmas, so be sure to get in fast if you want to look your best in your photo with Santa! Over the holiday period we will be sure to update our blog more often and I will upload lots of lovely vintage looks that we have done over the year.

2009-10-23T17:07:00.000-07:00

We really like the old embroidery on this bowling dress.

I can't seem to find anyone who still does this kind of work and we want to get our STERLING uniforms embroidered.

Everything seems to be done on computerised sewing machines and you lose that hand finished look - that said I don't really have the time to sit down and embellish the uniforms myself so if anyone knows where I might be able to get this done let me know.

2009-10-22T19:58:00.000-07:00

Its been super busy at STERLING, amongst the slicked quiffs, shaves, blow-drys, sets, hair cuts and chatter we have had two big 1960's style weddings to do - both of which were super and the girls looked so pretty... we will get respective brides permission and post some pics.

We are still looking for staff so if anyone knows any lovely talented folk who would like to come and join us then tell them to come in and say hi or email their c.v to us at sterlinghair@gmail.com

2009-10-12T21:40:00.001-07:00

We want to introduce ourselves to those who don't know us yet...

STERLING Hairdressing Parlour & Barber Shop is located at Shp 3, 29

Brisbane Street in Surry Hills, NSW AUSTRALIA. Our speciality lies in vintage and kustom kulture cuts, colouring and styling. We can take you from Louise Brooks to Bettie Page or Joan Holloway, but you don't have to leave a retro doll there are just as many contemporary vixens you can be its up to you! So sit back and relax while you drink cups of tea from vintage cups and if your lucky home made biscuits and sweet treats.

This isn't just for the Ladies we have a Mens Barber shop out the back - the kind you used to go to with your father. Its strictly mens business....clipper cuts, precision trimming, cut throat shaves, pomades, hair grease and all those nostalgic smells of talc and shaving lather, and of course if its the right time of day ice cold beers. We will make sure you leave a Dapper man.

Call us for an appointment on 02 9262 7777 we do get busy and to save disappointment it is better to call a little ahead of time and make sure you get your preferred date.

See you soon!!