Lovers of vintage hairdos, be happy!…read more
The Cat's Meow on Francis Street of Dublin's famed Liberties area is a fitting addition to a street that specialises in things old. But this vintage shop is not for the lovers of fine antiques but of a more affordable kind of pleasure - clothes, bric a brac, homeware, pictures. And fabulous hairdos! Not to mention vintage make up.
I was there for the hair bit, but had a good rummage around the shop during curler warming. Some lovely dresses and accessories including a stunning silk kimono style top that was a tad too small otherwise I would have snatched it up (size 38 if you're interested).
Run by the artistic Maureen, a famed hairdresser on film sets across Ireland, this lady seriously knows her finger wave from her victory roll. And, as she says herself, she likes to give things an individual touch, too.
Perhaps not unusually for me, I wasn't entirely sure exactly what I wanted. And how helpful is 'old-fashioned' to a hairdresser, really? Plus I'd forgotten my dress, which was my plan for inspiring her with a vintage look for a non-vintage head. Anyways, fair play to her, she remained undaunted as she set about placing all kinds of rollers in my hair followed by stuff I don't recall the name for but which thickens it all out a bit in the subtle deceit of a 'natural-looking' up-style (honestly, it took me five minutes, I just threw it up any old way). Followed by approximately four thousand gently inserted hairpins that would have set off more than one alarm at airport security but strangely didn't make my head feel tight at any point during the day that followed. In fact, as I walked in the breeze later, I was amazed at how this strange immovable mass that was my hair, now a single unit as opposed to thousands of free-moving follicles, could remain so comfortable and not budge as much as an inch.
A great find! Well worth a treat, and I'm pretty sure this lady can do whatever it is you want, strange, rare or unusual, for your hair.
There's a pop up section of the shop and a general all round feeling of much creative energy by all involved, and a love of the arts too - so yes, quite a find and next time I'm going to treat myself to the make up bit too, which by all accounts is great.
Vintage hair and make up is a different thing altogether than what you get in the regular hairdresser - I speak from experience - plus at €45 this was reasonable value (cost me €60 I'm pretty sure at Peter Mark and lovely and all as they were, it didn't hold for long). So book in advance as I've a feeling word is going to spread and fast.
Locks and Lashes is the hair and make up part of Cat's Meow, by the way.
