Conrad Mace - South Yarra VIC
By Rob Kotevski April 2 2009
Melbourne’s prestigious Como Centre is home to some of the city’s finest boutiques. Exclusive residential suites form part of the centre, as well as the headquarters for Network Ten. The centre sits in the heart of Chapel St, the shopaholic’s Mecca in South Yarra.
It’s in this centre that you will find the Conrad Mace salon.
Drenched in natural sunlight, the salon is incredibly spacious. Deep reds and warm browns are seen throughout the salon. Dark polished wooden floorboards throughout host plush, inviting and extremely comfortable ottomans that almost seem perfect for an afternoon power nap.
Gold fittings and the antique chairs clients are seated on in front of large mirrors add a dash of Marie Antoinette romance. The welcoming and gorgeous interior isn’t just a façade: the Conrad Mace team is just as nice as the décor suggests.
The brainchild of head stylist Greg Conrad and Felicity Mace, it’s amazing just to think the internal framework of the salon has been left untouched for years.
“The bones are still there,” Greg tells myhairdressersearch. “We’ve never done any major renovations because it was such a beautiful salon and space to begin with.
“Andrew Nash was our original designer and he’s helped us update things over the years. I love the wooden floors and I love the space. I love the divided rooms. We get natural light all the time. That makes it warm and personable. It’s a fairly relaxed environment.”
"It's amazing just to think the internal framework of the Conrad Mace salon has been left untouched for years."
Greg, who recently celebrated 30 years in the industry and has tended to the tresses of Mariah Carey, Kylie Minogue and Nicole Kidman, says Conrad Mace’s clients come from all walks of life.
“We have a very wide of clientele from the ladies who lunch from the upper echelons of society to your everyday Joe Blow that wants sexy, gorgeous hair.
“We’re not avant-garde cutters or making people’s hair purple, green or blue. We love feminine and sexy hair.”
Although not directly involved with hair for the L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival, Conrad Mace is still very busy during the capital’s week-long celebration of fashion, not to mention its involvement with other events during the year, including working with high-end luxury label Chanel. The fashion pack simply wants to look its best during the events dotted around Melbourne.
“Hairdressing is a periphery. We’re busy when there’s events on, when people are going out, when there’s parties, when there’s the Melbourne Cup. You’ve got all those editors, all those clients … Things where people want to look their best,” Greg says.
Perhaps one of the secrets of Conrad Mace’s success is that Greg gives his stylists free rein for what they like to create with clients’ hair, as long as one rule is followed.
“As long as it’s done well and my clients are happy, that’s my main objective,” he says.
Conrad Mace
Shop 5
Como Centre
South Yarra VIC
03 9827 8685
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