From styling two of the most iconic rivals in American history to styling Mr. Kenneth, a seasoned professional who brought his hairdressing skills to the forefront of American culture.
A Rugged Start
Born and raised in Syracuse, New York, Kenneth Everette Battelle was not only the oldest of four children, but his parents’ only son. After his Father left the family when he was 12, he began supporting his Mother and younger sisters by working various jobs until he joined the Navy at 17. After eighteen months of service, his G.I. Bill covered only about six months of tuition at Syracuse University before he was forced to drop out. One day he came across an advertisement posted by the Wanamaker Academy of Beauty that guaranteed graduates $100-a-week jobs upon completing their coursework, to which Kenneth partook in for six months—funding himself through hospitality (working at a restaurant) and performance work (playing piano at a local bar) along the way. He then completed an additional six months of training at the Marinello Academy of Beauty Culture before securing a position at the Starlet Beauty Bar Salon.
Here, There, and Everywhere
After four years at the Starlet Beauty Bar, Kenneth worked at a hotel salon in Miami for a short time before returning to New York—this time basing himself in Manhattan—where he was offered a job by cosmetics mogul Elizabeth Arden. But instead of accepting her proposition, he accepted an identical one from her main competitor, Helena Rubenstein. Here, he would meet one of his biggest clients: future First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.
Still a young senator’s wife, the new Mrs. Kennedy came into Rubenstein’s salon one day looking for her usual stylist. By the time she realized he was off sick, Kenneth had already stepped in, making suggestions on how to improve his new client’s rather unflattering hairstyle. He later said of the event, “She was a very pretty girl whose hair had a mind of its own. It was too short, layered, and curly for her tall proportions and big bones.”
After five years with Helena Rubenstein, Kenneth moved on to Lilly Daché, a popular milliner at the time. Realizing that hats were becoming a thing of the past, Daché hired Kenneth to inject young blood into the salon. And thanks to his fluid talent, legend has it the salon became the “most important hairdressing venue in New York.” It was under Daché that Kenneth would gain two more major clients: beloved comedienne Lucille Ball and Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe.
Mr. Kenneth
After complaining of hair loss from frequent bleaching, Marilyn Monroe was referred to Kenneth by couturier Norman Norell. Kenneth quickly became a favorite of Monroe’s, styling her for the 1959 Chicago premiere of Some Like It Hot and becoming her go-to hairstylist whenever she was visiting New York. With this new venture, Kenneth’s own star started to shine brighter, and in 1961 he was enlisted by Glamour Beauty Editor Karlys Daly Brown, one of his regular clients, to write articles aiding women on how to care for their hair on their own, and was subsequently featured on one of the magazine’s covers, not to mention being the main hairstylist for a multitude of photoshoots for Vogue, working with photographers like Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, and Bert Stern.
Simultaneously, Kenneth was hired as the “Secretary of Grooming” to the Kennedy Administration for the now-First Lady, Mrs. Kennedy, better defining her signature look. Said to have a brilliant sense of humor, Kenneth had no trouble balancing his relationships with both Monroe and Kennedy despite their rivalry (even going on to style Jacqueline’s younger sister Lee long after the two sisters fell out). It was from here that Kenneth’s name soared, carrying a glamorous weight of its own, and setting him up for the next step in his career.
A Quiet Determination
Once he secured the proper financial backing, Kenneth opened his own salon, simply called Kenneth, on March 4, 1963. Along with getting their hair styled, clients can enjoy amenities such as steam baths, massage rooms, wig boutiques, a Pilates studio, and more. And while he enjoyed considerable success, including opening a second location in 1974, the business closed permanently after a fire destroyed the original building in 1990. Not to be deterred, Kenneth rented six salon chairs at the Helmsley Palace Hotel and operated in a beauty salon there with one-third of his original staff before moving to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. He continued living out his passion until his passing on May 12, 2013.
XOXO,
Your Fashion Bestie
