Odile Gilbert has been described as France's "most celebrated female hairstylist",Chu, Ying

Marie Claire. Hearst Magazines. 1 October 2009. and is the only woman in that profession to have received the French honor ''

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

''. Her career has been based in Paris and New York.

Biography

Born in Brittany, Gilbert started her career in 1975 as first assistant to the famous hairstylist Bruno Pittini, in his salon and studio. Working with Pittini allowed her to meet celebrities and work on fashion shows and advertising photo shoots. In 1982, she moved to New York and started working for fashion and beauty editorials in famous fashion magazines with well-known photographers such as

Richard Avedon Richard Avedon (May 15, 1923 – October 1, 2004) was an American fashion and portrait photographer. He worked for ''Harper's Bazaar'', '' Vogue'' and '' Elle'' specializing in capturing movement in still pictures of fashion, theater and ...

Helmut Newton Helmut Newton (né Neustädter; 31 October 192023 January 2004) was a German-Australian photographer. The ''The New York Times, New York Times'' described him as a "prolific, widely imitated fashion photographer whose provocative, erotically ch ...

Herb Ritts Herbert Ritts Jr. (August 13, 1952 – December 26, 2002) was an American fashion photographer and director known for his photographs of celebrities, models, and other cultural figures throughout the 1980s and 1990s. His work concentrated on b ...

Irving Penn Irving Penn (June 16, 1917October 7, 2009) was an American photographer known for his fashion photography, portraits, and still lifes. Penn's career included work at ''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'' magazine, and independent advertising work for clie ...

, Steven Klein,

Peter Lindbergh Peter Lindbergh (born Peter Brodbeck; 23 November 1944 – 3 September 2019) was a German fashion photographer and film director. He had studied arts in Berlin and Krefeld, and exhibited his works before graduation. In 1971, he turned to phot ...

Jean-Baptiste Mondino Jean-Baptiste Mondino (born Aubervilliers, France on 21 July 1949) is a French fashion photographer and music video director. He has directed music videos for Madonna (entertainer), Madonna, David Bowie, Sting (musician), Sting, Björk, Don Henley, ...

and

Paolo Roversi Paolo Roversi (born September 25, 1947) is an Italian-born fashion photographer who lives and works in Paris. Early life Born in Ravenna on September 25, 1947, Paolo Roversi's interest in photography was kindled as a teenager during a family v ...

, among others. She styled the hair of models in advertising campaigns for fashion and perfume houses, such as

Calvin Klein Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer. In 1968, he launched the company that later became Calvin Klein. In addition to clothing, he has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewellery. ...

Lancôme Lancôme () is a French perfume and cosmetics house that distributes products internationally. A subsidiary of L'Oréal, Lancôme offers skin care, fragrances, and makeup. History Founded in 1935 by Guillaume d'Ornano and his business partn ...

Giorgio Armani Giorgio Armani (; born 11 July 1934) is an Italian fashion designer and a billionaire. He first gained renown working for Cerruti 1881. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, which eventually expanded into music, sport, and luxury hotels. By 200 ...

and

Jean-Paul Gaultier Jean Paul Gaultier (; born 24 June 1952) is a French haute couture and prêt-à-porter fashion designer. He is described as an "enfant terrible" of the fashion industry and is known for his unconventional designs with motifs including corset ...

. Her best known work was on fashion shows, on which she worked with the designers, in some cases for many years. In 2000, she opened her own agency in Paris, l'atelier(68), to take care of her career and also represent new talents to the beauty industry. In 2001, she created her hair accessory line, Odile Gilbert Créations. In 2003, she published ''Her Style, Hair by Odile Gilbert'' at Steidl/7L Editions (), prefaced by

Karl Lagerfeld Karl Otto Lagerfeld also called Kaiser Karl (; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, photographer, and creative director. Lagerfeld began his career in fashion in the 1950s, working for several top fashion hous ...

. In 2005,

Sofia Coppola Sofia Carmina Coppola ( , ; born May 14, 1971) is an American filmmaker and former actress. She has List of awards and nominations received by Sofia Coppola, won an Academy Awards, Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, a Golden Lion, and a Can ...

hired her as stylist for the eponymous main character of her film ''

Marie-Antoinette Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the wife of Louis XVI. Born Archd ...

'', played by

Kirsten Dunst Kirsten Caroline Dunst (; born April 30, 1982) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the anthology film ''New York Stories'' (1989) and has since starred in several film and television productions. She has received several awar ...

. In 2006 she received from

Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres (; born 13 March 1954 in Neuilly-sur-Seine), often known as RDDV, is a French politician, France's Minister of Culture from 2004 to 2007. He is a member of the UMP center-right party, and the grandson of Henri Donnedi ...

, the French Minister of Culture and Communications, the honorable insignia of ''

Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

''."Fashion junkie: Odile Gilbert, hairstylist"
The Telegraph (Fashion), 15 May 2006 To date, she is the only female hairstylist with this honour. In 2007, the

Costume Institute The Anna Wintour Costume Center is a wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art The Met Fifth Avenue, main building in Manhattan that houses the collection of the Costume Institute, a curatorial department of the museum focused on fashion and costume ...

of the

Metropolitan Museum The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the third-largest museum in the world and the largest art museum in the Americas. With 5.36 million v ...

of New York bought for their permanent collection one of the top hats made of natural hair she created for Jean Paul Gaultier's Haute-Couture AW 2006 show. In February 2024, Gilbert was the hairstylist for the debut of Japanese musician Yoshiki's high-fashion line

Maison Yoshiki Paris Maison Yoshiki Paris is a luxury fashion brand of ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and eyewear created by Yoshiki. The brand was announced in Paris in July 2023 and debuted at Milan Fashion Week in February 2024. History Japanese musici ...

Milan Fashion Week Milan Fashion Week () is a clothing trade show held semi-annually in Milan, Italy. Upcoming autumn/winter fashions are showcased in February/March of each year, and upcoming spring/summer fashions are showcased in September/October of each year ...

Awards

*'' Trophées de la Mode'' 1997 & 1999 *'' Vénus de la Mode'' 1999, 2004 & 2006 *''

Victoires de la Beauté Victoire (French, 'victory') or Victoires may refer to: People * Victoire of France (1733–1799), daughter of King Louis XV of France * Victoire Babois (1760–1839), French poet and writer of elegies * Victoire Conroy (1819–1866), a disliked ...

'' 2003 *''

'' (July 2006)

References

External links

* http://www.exposureny.com/ * http://www.style.com/peopleparties/modelsearch/thumb/person1490 * http://www.style.com/peopleparties/parties/slideshow/110903OGBP/?iphoto=0 * https://web.archive.org/web/20080615133247/http://www.picturetank.com/___/series/295fa9553299a6d82d8c1ae64cab8b77/Odile_Gilbert,_Hair_Stylist..html {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, Odile Year of birth missing (living people) Living people French hairdressers French expatriates in the United States