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Dhiran Mistry

His business is making women look and feel beautiful. His place of work—the ninth floor of Bergdorf Goodman at John Barrett Salon. Dhiran Mistry is the man behind the beehives of our May issue featuring the talented Thom Browne and gorgeous models. Here, we catch up with him and learn what motivated his career move and his tricks of the trade.

Eliza: What inspired you to become a hair stylist?

Dhiran: I was most inspired as a child. From the age of 11, I started to ask my mother if I could go to the barber's alone. Primarily because I was embarrassed to go with her, and most of all, I was done with the bowl cuts I had been getting.

E: What is your favorite part of the job?

D: I always want to give people the immediate confidence boost that comes with a fresh new haircut. It's something that has always excited me and being able to reproduce that is extremely satisfying.

E: Is there a particular trend this spring?

D: I try to stray away from trends because I strive for longevity and originality—trends fade away. If you stick to what suits a person then they will become the trendsetter.

E: Do you have an expertise in a particular area?

D: I love to cut hair, I look at it as an art form. It's not only molding the hair into shape to suit a person, but trying to give the best shape that grows out well too.

E: What are your favorite products to use?

D: Essence Absolue Nourishing Protective Oil from Shu Eumura. It's a fantastic everyday product that improves health and shine and can be used at anytime, wet or dry.

E: Who are some celebrities whose hair you admire?

D: I admire most celebrities that go for the "big chop." It takes a lot of confidence for a woman to stop hiding behind her hair, so whenever I see a woman with shorter hair I see someone with an inner strength. I am constantly surrounded by women so to meet the ones who have that makes them unique in my eyes. It is an extremely attractive quality without being too vain.

E: Any final advice?

D: Best advice I can give is to look after your hair in-between salon visits. There's only so much we can do, therefore the rest relies on maintenance at home—good products, lots of rinsing when washing and conditioning, and keeping to a style that isn't too far from what one's hair wants to do naturally. This in turn means that there'll be less that needs to be done to the hair to achieve the desired look. In other words, it's less abrasive to the hair!

Thom Browne [Photographed by An Le; Styled by Marcus Teo]

Recently, Browne has guided his business into promising new territory. Though his reputation is built on menswear, he designs for women as well—ready-to-wear for Brooks Brothers since 2007, and his own line since 2010. That side of things was all moving along quite nicely until earlier this year, when Michelle Obama wore a smartly tailored navy coat and checked dress, both by Thom Browne, to her husband’s inauguration.
It was, as they say, a game-changer. And when Browne unveiled his Fall 2013 womenswear in New York a few weeks later, thousands of eager new eyes were watching. His offbeat stagecraft (it was his first runway-style women’s show) did not disappoint. In a winter forest setting, male models in gray flannel suits lay blindfolded and strapped to plywood beds, “bleeding” under crowns of thorns while the female models walked. Was Browne kinkily suppressing his famous menswear so that the ladies could have their moment?
Either way, the clothes seem to have been a hit. In his showroom, Browne walks me through them, with their exaggerated proportions (shoulders are as wide as mantlepieces) and feminine treatments of traditional menswear fabrics. A patchwork cape is cut into a crisp square, and there’s an absolute showstopper of a blood-red dress, with rich, rose-petal-like folds below the waist and a smartly tailored jacket on top. Pointy shoes are splashed with a hardened milky substance—liquid rubber, Browne notes, a flourish that he says led some observers to make some “horrible associations.” But it seems unlikely that Browne didn’t see at least a few risqué readings coming, and he has no particular reason to be bothered. “It took me a couple seasons, but I’ve really figured out what I want to do for girls,” he says. “Whereas with men’s, early on, I really knew what I wanted.”
This is the groundbreaking part of the Thom Browne story, because the accepted wisdom had long been that American men also know what they want, and if they were going to come back to tailoring after years in the wilds of business casual, would they really warm to Browne’s radically re-proportioned suits? But look at shop windows anywhere, and you’ll see that Browne’s idiosyncratic take on the JFK-era office drone has totally changed the zeitgeist.
“It’s easy to say Thom has changed the silhouette and the proportions of the suit. But what he’s really done is educated people’s eye,” says Michael Hainey, deputy editor of GQ and one of the designer’s closest friends. (Browne designed the wedding dress for Hainey’s wife, fashion executive Brooke Cundiff.) Hainey compares Browne’s designs to the Guggenheim—odd-looking when first unveiled, and then just right. “Thom is sort of ahead of where the world is, and then the world catches up to him.”

Thom Browne [photographed by An Le]

See all the looks from our shoot with Thom Browne, featuring his Fall/Winter 2013 Collection, below! 

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Kenneth Cole and Debbie Harry watch the events from a(m)fAR (Patrick McMullan)

Thursday night on the steps of the New York Public Library, a sea of familiar faces flooded the red carpet for the third annual Inspiration Gala--a celebration of men’s style to benefit the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR).  Chaired by Kenneth Cole and Dr. Mathilde Krim, with Marc Jacobs presiding as honorary chair, the evening featured a live auction, runway shows and a performance by Scissor Sisters that raised over $1 million dollars.

Josh Duhamel and Hillary Swank presented awards to Fergie and Robert Duffy, of Marc Jacobs International, in honor of their contributions to the fight against AIDS. Inspiration Gala is one of a series of amfAR events that have raised over $3 million total for AIDS research.

With a Grey Goose Cherry Noir cocktail reception awaiting post-carpet, many of the notable attendees, among them Mark Sanchez, Rose McGowan, Cheyenne Jackson, Calvin Klein’s Francisco Costa, Thom Browne, Greg Louganis, Ben Cohen, Simon Doonan, Jonathan Adler, Debbie Harry, Gail Simmons, Clinton Kelly, Kelly Bensimon, Sean Patterson, Larry Boland and John Demsey, rushed past inside to the Stephen A. Swartzmann Building.

We asked a few questions of producer Joshua Woods, who reported first and foremost that Simon Doonan was auctioning off the world’s most expensive and high-tech toilet.

“It took a bit for me to get onboard with that request when it came through,” he said.  “But the odd things give [an event] character.”

“The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders wanted to come,” he added. “They couldn't make it, but we do have the Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders.  Many people have asked if Greg Louganis is walking in the show in his Speedo.  Someone asked if I would wear a wrestling singlet.  That's not happening.”

Mr. Cole reported on the red carpet that nothing had gone wrong, “yet.”

Despite Mr. Wood’s biggest fears going into the event: “Rain. Too hot. Too cold. No one having fun. Am I sweating? Why are tuxedos so uncomfortable?” he echoed his fellow chairman. “We should be good.  I have faith in the universe.”

Mr. Wood added that the event took over a two-block long corridor in library, making it “pretty much [the] world’s longest runway.” He explained that each year has a different theme for the runway show and guests. This year, inspired by the Olympics and modern sports, 65 models and 50 designers worked to pull off black-tie-meets-athletic attire. The 72 resulting looks were auctioned off during the dinner.

Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters got in the spirit with an ambitious set of bottoms: one cut-off and normal-length black jean spotted with white safety pins. Sheer genius? We weren't sure. The band goes on tour next week in Vegas--amfAR is just the start.

“I love playing parties like this,” he said. “We’ve been wanting to do it for years and have never been in the city when it’s been going on.” On playing in the States, he added: “We have a very sexy crowd.”

Many celebrities donned Marc Jacobs Collection, among them Ms. Swank and, most notably, Ms. Harry with a fabulously chic pair of black lens 2003 limited-edition glasses.

According to Mr. Cole, everything about the night was unique: “Tonight is really catered to the fashion community and it’s a way of celebrating how far we’ve come, speaking to a constituent group that’s been very supportive for a very long time.”

“This past year we have learned, for the most part, how to live with AIDS. There is no rational scenario today where people should contract the virus going forward," he said. "We know how to render ourselves safe, we know how to prevent ourselves from spreading the virus, we know how to protect unborn children from contracting the virus in the womb--but we still don’t have a cure. So tonight we’re going remind everybody about how far we’ve come and what we still need to do, and we’re going to have fun doing it."

“You have a lot of the fashion community that’s here to make their unique personal statements, individual expression, and that’s what amfAR does. We’re very creative and innovative in how we fund research initiatives, and that is why we’ve been seed money for the six groups of drugs today that keep people alive," he said.

Everything was donated, Mr. Wood explained. “The models do it for free.  The stylist, the casting directors, the tailors...everyone volunteers. It's really like a giant school play where everyone is doing it for the love of the cause.  Very much a 'Let's get together and put on a good show' kind of thing,” he said.

Though about as mysterious as her black-lensed glasses, Ms. Harry was on the same page: “It’s one of these things,” she said. “What goes around, comes around.”

There is one significant change, however. In place of the previous low-key owners, a puckish Julian Niccolini and his partner Alex von Bidder have overseen the grand restaurant since they purchased it with Edgar Bronfman in 1995. Tuscan born Niccolini has the gift of gab and breathes life into the elegant room as he works it masterfully, from table to table, speaking with irreverence and routinely playing pranks on his regulars. Now, after 17 years of honing his skill charming the Midtown power set, he has his eye on the downtown crowd and has been in talks to open a Meatpacking offshoot of the legendary restaurant.

“A particular real estate man has one building already up and another being built on 10th Avenue between 14th and 16th streets; he really wants us,” he reveals. “There are a lot of people extremely interested in our opening a place downtown.”

As soon as word got out, Niccolini was inundated with inquiries. Understandably, architects were among the callers. Who wouldn’t want to be seen as the new Philip Johnson?
“Believe it or not, I just heard last week from David Rockwell,” Niccolini confides. “He is a tremendous architect for restaurants and he said he would be interested in designing the new place. We need to have somebody famous.”

One man who is not excited about the expansion is Marc Sherry, owner of the Old Homestead, which has been in the area for more than 100 years. He told the Daily News, “If they come down here with an elitist attitude or thinking they’re going to reinvent the wheel, they’ve got another thing coming.” Niccolini laughs off the challenge with a touch of condescension. “The Old Homestead is fine with me. I thought it was cute when I was there about 10 years ago.”

In any case, he says he has no plans for an elitist establishment.  “Up until now, many people opened restaurants for the one percent; we need to do something for the other 99. You have to make sure you are giving quality at the right price. The new place is going to be a very democratic restaurant: I think artists and architects will like it—the name itself. It will be dedicated to the emerging class from downtown; there are a tremendous number of people and companies moving there. It is going to be American food, but more casual, and we will call it the Four Seasons Downtown. If we called it Niccolini, nobody would come.”

He has been spending some time scouting the area. “Pastis is a goldmine; I also go to Soho House and I like Catch. The food is outstanding and there’s a lot of action.”
According to Niccolini, the new spot will be a 100-seat room, serving lunch and dinner. The décor, he says, will reflect the mothership, but have downtown sensibility.

That sensibility will be a transition for Niccolini, who knows how to finesse luxurious details and understands the art of high-end service. Even on a rainy summer night, he is dressed in a suit—with flair. “I only like Thom Browne; everything is Thom Browne, even my tie and shoes,” he announces as he shows off his jacket with Browne’s signature tags hanging off the back collar. “Look, it is short and very tight. The suspenders are not Thom Browne, but I wear them because my pants are falling down. I wear a tie because I work here; otherwise I wouldn’t wear one.” His watch is more of a classic piece—a striking gold vintage Rolex from 1962, a time when the restaurant was in its infancy. “My wife got it for me; I guess she decided to keep me around,” he smiles.

Though he sits down to dinner, he carefully monitors the other tables, sending gifts here and there, and finally taking a moment to bite into his food. “My quail are delicious!” he exclaims. “They look like Dick Cheney shot them. What happened to my glass of Sancerre? Did the waiter quit or go on vacation?” His eyes scan the diners with admiration, as if he is appreciating art in his own home, and settle on a brunette in a tight black dress. “She is hot!” Later he checks out a blonde. “Look at this one, she is cute!” Then he calls a waiter over and asks him to gift the tables to our right and left with truffle strewn risotto.

“It’s a fun night!” he proclaims. “Look, we have two beautiful people who just got engaged over here, and over there we have Jamie Dimon and his wife. A lot of people are going over to give him support and say ‘do the best you can.’ Stuff like that happens, what are you going to do?” He heads over to greet the beleaguered banker, then whispers to a waiter and a bottle of red wine appears at the table of the newly engaged couple: the woman illuminates when it arrives. “It’s from Paso Robles; that’s where I’m from!” she exclaims. He has done his homework. “Yes, it’s very dry there and produces great wine,” he notes.

But as he glances at the bottle, his eyes catch a few droplets of condensation: he quickly grabs his cell phone and calls the front to have the wine cellar’s temperature elevated. “Look at the foie gras on that bison,” he says, nodding toward a neighboring diner, “and the tableside carvings…we are not McDonald’s—yet.” The new place will have no such formal service, but it will have the famed Dover sole, he promises, along with extended hours. “Uptown, you see what happens. It’s 9:30 p.m. and everyone is going to sleep. Downtown we will stay open until 1 a.m., of course!”

Niccolini is fond of saying “of course,” as if everything he’s learned and perfected should be easy and obvious. He is confident and mischievous enough to toy with the biggest business players, leading CEOs past the Grill room’s VIP section lunchtime, and up the stairs to Siberia just to make them sweat a little, before circling back to a more coveted table. He has become an expert at juggling the Grill room’s seating chart, which changes daily and accommodates regulars like Ralph Lauren, Martha Stewart and Henry Kissinger. “There are 33 tables and they are taken every day,” he explains. “Only a few people have their own tables, like Mr. Bronfman and Pete Peterson. We move guests around to make the room look good. Sometimes it depends on who is doing better and who is doing worse. If someone is having a bad day, I will give him a better table. People are very concerned about where they are seated. They get upset and ask ‘do you know who I am?’ But it is totally impossible to satisfy all these clients. If I know someone is having an important lunch I am tempted to seat the person somewhere that is not so prized and sometimes I do. Then I think, ‘why did I do that?’ But just for a moment.”

With all the outsized egos, there is the occasional seating misstep. “There are sometimes I make a mistake and I say ‘sorry it didn’t work out today, lunch is on me.’”
Niccolini likes to satisfy a customer’s every whim, but also enjoys jabbing regulars in the process. “If a customer like Pete Peterson wants wonton soup, I will get it from the local Chinese place, put it in a nice bowl and charge $45; I also get a hot dog at the truck for $5 and charge $45,” he laughs.

He gets a thrill from playing host to boldfaces like Bono (“that guy from U2”), Drew Barrymore and Bill Clinton, who could apparently fill Niccolini’s shoes were they ever vacated. “Before Clinton sits down, he has to work the whole room,” he says. Who would he like to see as a client? “Beyoncé would be great, and Johnny Depp! He was here for a movie premiere and that guy has seven bodyguards—more than a president.”

The Four Seasons was the first restaurant in New York to focus on seasonal menus, and Niccolini remains true to the love of quality ingredients by bottling “Julian of the Seasons” olive oil, tomato sauce and honey—all come with a caricature of the restaurateur on the label. “It was a terrible year for honey,” he sighs. “People think it is easy to make; they are idiots.”

After 10 p.m., he is ready to head back to the small apartment he keeps blocks from the restaurant. “I am going to walk my new dog, Dutch. Can I show you a picture? Look at that nose! She is only five months old and she is wearing a Thom Browne jacket!”

Despite the side projects, the dramatic room and all the heavy hitters, 58-year-old Niccolini is yearning for another act. He and his wife are planning to give up their home in Westchester and move to the city full time—somewhere downtown, of course.

“A lot of restaurants in Midtown have music because otherwise there would be total boredom,” he says. “We don’t have any except for cocktails, because the diners in this area are more serious. But downtown, it is a different clientele. There will be music and it will be for people who want to stay a little longer. The look has to be very similar to what we have here, but if we had a pool I would have some naked women in it!”

And, Beyoncé and Johnny Depp might even show.