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'I dream of hair'
New York stylist Seth Lombardi is here to give Crown a designer cut
By Apsara Kapukotuwa
"I came to Sri Lanka to relax and for peace of mind -to get away from L.A. and get some Asian influence," Seth Lombardi, the "hair stylist from New York" answers my forthright question on what he is doing here, with a big grin.

As the chief stylist of "Crown", Seth says the trick to achieving truly fashionable hair is to make sure the skin tone and shape of the face as well as the person's job is taken into account when making the decision.

Crown, situated at 9, Clifford Avenue, Colombo 3 is Sri Lanka's answer to those seeking hair fashion's equal to a designer label. Managing Director of Crown, Raquel Yasseen Yatawara was enthusiastic about the response the hair and beauty salon has received up to date, since its opening two weeks ago. "We want to be able to offer a better service, at competitive rates to everyone. New techniques take a long time to get into Sri Lanka and we hope to change that."

Choosing comfort over high-maintenance, Seth says clients have to be well informed when making their choices. "I don't want my women clients to be stressed out in front of their mirror the day after. I prefer natural, no fuss hairstyles. I would even blow dry the hair with my hands to show how easy it is to maintain the look."

"Elegant and sophisticated hairstyles are what it's all about-NOT making people look like Puff Daddy's mom!" Going into detail about what brought him to Sri Lanka, Seth who was the Hair Design Consultant/hair stylist for movies like Minority Report, Vanilla Sky and the Simian Line, says it was quite a fluke.

"My assistant, who is constantly surfing the Internet told me one day that she had posted my resume out. When the Crown people contacted me, I was like 'where's Sri Lanka?'-This was just before the tsunami. A month later than planned, I came here."

According to Seth, Sri Lanka has the best hair straightening and re-bonding techniques in Asia. "This is the best group of people I have ever worked with. I love them to bits. I teach new methods to them using mannequins with real hair. Sri Lanka has very good salons and we should add to the mix, rather than competing."

Seth who says his favourite hairstyles are a mix of Barbarella and the Matrix, cites in his impressive list of clients Cindy Crawford, Mariah Carey, Sarah Jessica Parker and Paris Hilton.

Seth, who in school excelled in art, painting and drama and was constantly bullied about his ‘different’ tastes, is the son of a doctor and a teacher. His two brothers are also somewhat in artistic pursuits with one been a writer and the other a graphic artist.

His passion for hair is monumental. "I don't do this for money. I love the work I do. I was always interested-I dream about hair. If anything happens to my hands I don't know what I would do," he says.

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