Friday, May 31, 2013

Color Me Fabulous: The Magic of Cathy Provenzano in Beverly Hills

COLOR ME FABULOUS: THE MAGIC OF CATHY PROVENZANO IN BEVERLY HILLS -- She's been one of those best-kept secrets in Hollywood for many years -- and her work has turned heads around the world. And now you -- our ever-stylish readers -- are in on the secret....and her name is Cathy Provenzano (pictured above applying hair color). She wields her tint brush like a magic wand: applying just the right amount of color, dabbing here and there in only the perfect places, moving her hands and fingers as if weaving an elegant tapestry. And, indeed, she is! And throughout the process, Provenzano is making her celebrated clients feel completely at ease -- for they know that they'll always get exactly what they want from a lady who is always in demand. Though she originally hails from Michigan, Provenzano always knew that she'd be a part of Hollywood. "As a young girl, I'd beg my mother to get a subscription to the now-defunct Photoplay magazine," she tells Studio of Style in an exclusive interview, "and I lived for each and every issue to arrive in the mail so I could look at all the clothes, hair and jewelry of the stars." Finding her way from Michigan to Los Angeles, Provenzano attended the renowned Vidal Sassoon Academy and upon graduation landed a coveted assistant position at Sassoon's salon on Rodeo Drive smack dab in the middle of Beverly Hills -- and she was on her way! At the salon, she pursued being the best hair colorist possible and would provide color for Beverly Sassoon (Vidal's second wife, pictured upper right) and a host of celebrity clients including Yoko Ono (lower right) and Princess Margaret (center right) to name but a few. Nowadays, Provenzano is found creating her colorful magic as a senior colorist at Rossano Ferretti Hairspa in Beverly Hills where her clients include film industry writers, set decorators, studio executives, fashion editors and some of her longtime clients including actress Kelly Rowan (a client for 20 years, pictured at top left) and Beverly Hills power attorney Elyse R. Margolin (center) who is shown here working her iPad while Provenzano applies the color that Margolin absolutely loves (and has for 15 years!). Did you know that one of her clients drives in from Las Vegas...and another from Palm Springs -- they must have her special services! "Every head is different," says Provenzano, "and that means I never do the same thing everyday. What I learned from Sassoon was that to succeed, you have to practice your talent daily with dedication and hard work -- and that is a motto that I have lived by ever since I began working as a professional hair colorist." Hollywood dreams do come true...and Cathy Provenzano is living proof!
Book an appointment with Provenzano: (310) 598-6780
Photo of Provenzano by Greg Firlotte