Friday, March 13, 2009

$56,000 a week for 'Marley & Me' star Jennifer Aniston's hair? So worth it, experts say


$56,000 for a week of hairstyling?!

Jennifer Aniston came under fire this week for reportedly shelling out that jaw-dropping sum to bring her hairstylist along on her "Marley & Me" tour of Europe.

And it was totally worth it, elite stylists say.

After all, isn't great hair just part of what makes Jennifer Aniston, well, Jennifer Aniston?

"You can't put any price on it - it's priceless," says legendary hair stylist Edward Tricomi, co-founder of the elite Warren Tricomi salons.

Tricomi, who works with several celebrities, likens Aniston and her luscious - albeit pricey - locks to a farmer who might need a $4,000 part to repair his tractor.

"For celebrities, hair, make-up and stylists are exactly like that tractor part," he explains.

"They are the ones who create that aura for the celebrity and her look. These people are much in demand, so they're worth every single penny they get - and more."

Fellow stylist Philip Pelusi agrees.

"The most important accessory that you own is your hair," he says, adding that he "can understand" why some stylists charge so much to travel with a star.

"It's not that the hairdresser wants to overcharge," he says, "but they need to make up what they lose in the salon."

And for an in-demand hairdresser like Tricomi, it can be mighty costly to leave his base business behind.

"My days are more than $10,000," he admits. "It's significant to walk out when you're booking days like that."

And, Tricomi points out, stylists such as Jennifer Aniston's mane man Chris McMillan are originators - not imitators.

"We're the people who are creating the trends," he says. "It's short-lived and other people collect on that."

Meaning, the looks eventually trickle down to the hoi polloi (remember the phenomenon that was The Rachel?) and the original stylists don't see a dime from the zillions of copycat cuts.

Translation? They get to charge $56,000/week for stars to be in their capable - and creative - 24/7 care and therefore inspire the masses.

"Even I've cringed on occasion," Pelusi says of some stylists astronomical fees. But, he adds, he doesn't think McMillan's fee is outrageous.

Tricomi wasn't shocked by the sum, either. Says the stylist: "I know mostly everybody would say this is really crazy, but most people don't have a job like this."

Source:http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle