TRENDS, FASHION, BOOTS, HAIR.

The only good thing about winter in my opinion has to be the fashion. I think everyone dresses better in winter. Men's winter fashion is always better then summer - I think anyways. I love coats and boots. I was looking at Fall 2017 Mens wear collections and pulled out some of my favourite looks from my favourite designers. 

Mainstream brands take inspiration from these and thats what creates a fashion trend. Balmain did a lot of green and army print so thats why we are seeing it in stores now. 

Givenchy and Gucci did sneakers with suits teamed up with a hoodie or puffer jacket and thats why we are seeing a lot of sneakers and tracksuits for street wear. Sneakers have become bigger then ever with more of a dressier sneaker being worn. The trend is all about mixing formal and casual, street wear with high end. I love it. 

Winter hair trends for this year are a similar concept - mixing polished with texture. So its about keeping the sides super neat and sharp with either a fade or a nice clean number two and having lots of movement and natural texture on the top. Staying away from products that give shine and using matt natural looking products like the Layrite Super Hold Cement or just using my new personal favourite Layrite Grooming Spray and blow-drying that in.  

Jake, Jarred and myself have been doing lots of this in the barber shop and our clients are loving it. I've always loved hair that looks "worn in" meaning hair that has texture and movement thats effortless just like all the trends that winter has. 

Below are some images of what I loved from Fall Mens Wear 2017. 

Let me know what you think.

Givenchy - Sneakers, suit and jacket.

Balmain- green army print

Balmain- men's green street wear.

Valentino - sneakers with a suit

Raf Simons for Calvin Klien - LOVE those boots

Th hair for Giorgio Armani was everything for me! Below are my three favourites 

Thanks for reading, hope you liked it.

Frances xx

Porsche meets the female barber.

I always get asked why I post cars on Cutri and Co. Barber Shop's Instagram account and why I like Porsche's. They have also recently become sort of a fashion item. The popularity of a vintage Porsche has risen over the past year and when ever I post one it helps with traction to my social media account. The fact that I post cars is quite a big topic of conversation, I guess it's because I'm a girl. First question normally is "where did your love of cars come from?" - my dad and brother are mechanics, I grew up around cars. Like Sebastian from VRS Prestige Smash Repairs up the road from Cutri and Co. says "it's in your blood"

Cars remind me of freedom. That feeling when you got your first car and you could get in it and drive where ever you wanted. I love vintage 911 Porsche's to me they scream class and status. Porsche is one of the only cars that go up in value. 

I love a big powerful car too, something that has guts. I'm obsessed with the Mercedes G63. It's definitely a very masculine car, a man behind the wheel of a G63 I can imagine would feel very powerful. 

Like I said in my previous blog posts I'm obsessed with all things male grooming, fashion and cars just fit right in. 

A car is a mile stone in a man's life, typically most men strive for a great watch, a great car and a house. 

Car's are my motivation, motivates me to work harder and smarter. When I post a car on my Instagram that's me motivating my myself. Maybe it does the same for some of the people that follow the Instagram page too. 

Frances xx

Winter Fumes

I have an abnormal addiction to or shall I say obsession with fragrance and sunglasses. I collect them I have this theory that different styles of sunglasses are suitable for winter and you should change your fragrance/Cologne for the cooler seasons. 

I LOVE men's colognes and I often wear some myself. Its all part of my passion of men's grooming that I spoke about in my previous blogs. I normally can pick a scent that someone is wearing when I am cutting there hair and in the past I've used it as a conversation starter (lol) 

As the weather is changing out come the coats and in comes the rain, it gets darker earlier and to be honest the only thing I like about winter is the fashion. To me everyone looks better in winter.

A scent on someone is very defining just as much as how they choose to present themselves and wear their hair. A lot can be said about someone by the way they choose to dress. A scent though is something that is very memorable, it tops it all off - it adds character. 

I recently started wearing Tom Ford Arabian Wood I love this fragrance, it's deep and heavy hence the reason why i'd only wear it in the cooler months. Imagine wearing something very deep and woody on a hot summers day! The thought makes me cringe. Summer should be fresh and light and winter heavy and deep. To me its like eating a hot bowl of soup on a 40 degree day while sitting in the sun on the beach. It just doesn't go. A lot of clients have noticed Tom Ford Arabian Wood and have complemented it and then bought it after I've told them it is dominantly a men's fragrance. The reason why I've decided to write this blog. 

Below are my ultimate mens colognes that I adore with a passion! If you haven't already got one of these or you haven't smelt them I advise you to defiantly without hesitation do so. Seriously.

This one can be hard to find although a customer told me he got it in duty free last week. It belongs to Tom Ford's luxurious collection Private Blend. It is very deep and woody it was designed for the Kuwait Market so that should give you some form of indication of what it smells like. 

Terre D'hermes is my number one favourite men's cologne ever! Anyone that  knows me well, knows this. To me it is the most perfect men's scent ever made. It has a lot of earthy notes (terre meaning earth) it's spicy but also a little fresh with orange and then cedar. It changes on the skin as the day goes on. I adore this scent and wear it myself from time to time. It isn't for everyone I wouldn't call it generic. 

I dicovered WONDERWOOD from Comme des Garcons not long ago and fell head over heels. I wear Amazing Green from Comme Des Garcons, I think every fragrance they do is spot on to be honest and they are mainly unisex. It has all my favourite notes in it - cedar wood, sandalwood and vetiver. 

Bvlgari Man, this is that one fragrance if you are ever shopping with me I will make you buy this. My brothers are victims of this. It defiantly suits anyone its crisp and sharp it's an oriental woody fragrance and to be honest works perfectly in summer to. The name suits it so well. It defiantly leaves the impression of a man not a boy. 

Platinum Egosite to me is a fragrance that more people need to know about. It is so masculine even I feel like I've gone to far by wearing it myself lol. It is rich and woody, its slightly floral and musky and has fresh aromatic scents. I think it does work all year round and whenever I smell this I think gentleman. 

I would love to know what your favourite cologne, let me know next time you are in. I am always on the look out for something new.

Frances xx

"It's not what you say, it's what you do!"

"Whats my name?" - Muhammed Ali

Inspiration is what drives me, it keeps me interested it keeps me motivated. Lots of things inspire me, I'm forever making hair contact before I make eye contact. Hair is not the only thing that inspires me though. 

One client in particular really got me thinking when he asked me why I post Ali on my instagram and if I actually like boxing. I don't like many sports, boxing I do like. I remember the first fight I watched was the one when Tyson bit off Holyfields ear in 1997 I was 11, from that point on I thought I like this sport.

Another client Kris that is a boxer and that has also done Muay Thai taught me a lot about boxing. He is an Ali fan and what he said to me about him stuck in my head and made me like him more. He said that technically Ali wasn't the best fighter but he had the most determination. He also taught me if I ever do get into a fight go for the ear, dig in to the top of the ear and tear down! I thought that was funny. 

The reason why I posted my first Ali picture and quote was because someone said to me once "it's not what you say, it's what you do".

People that actually  "put there money where there mouth is" and not are just all talk are inspiring to me as that takes great strength and lack of fear. Muhammed Ali is someone that I think is definitely that. 

In a world where social media has allowed people to be perceived how ever they want to be perceived instead of who they really are to find people that do more then what they say or actually do what they say is inspiring to me. I value people that I have in my life that are real and are unapologetic about who they are. Ali said he was the greatest and he became the greatest. 

He looked at his job the way everyone should. He set himself goals and he achieved them. Ali has some of the best quotes of all time my number one would have to be - "If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it - then I can achieve it" 

Thank you for reading and allowing me to express what ever I want to talk about on my blog, this blog is for my clients. It was never meant to just be about hair or a way for me to gain new clients. I am having a lot of fun with it I always get so excited when someone has told me they read it. Frances xx

Rebel without a cause

Have you seen a James Dean pic on my instagram page?

I believe I have a certain style with the way I cut hair and the way I perceive the perfect hair cut to be. To me a great men’s haircut should look great with and without product, you should be able to wear it naturally and it should be able to look amazing. You should be able to add product and change it to be a more polished formal look if needed.

A little tip!

Always see how much product the barber/hairstylist is putting in your hair after they have cut it and how long it takes them to style it. The more product, the more time the worse the haircut!

Think if it’s taking them that long and they need that much product, times that by three and that’s how long it is going to take you.

I love hair that looks like its been “worn in” like a good leather jacket or those new pair of RM William boots. Hair that looks effortless but cool like you are naturally fashionable and well presented. Does anyone want to look like they are trying to hard? Don’t get me wrong I love a good zero fade, it always looks really slick but for me I make sure it is very well blended with no sharp lines.

James Dean’s hair is just a perfect example of working with the natural texture in hair and having a haircut that looks effortless, amazing without product and works perfectly with product to give it a more formal look.

From a time when Elvis Presley was still skinny and “rocked” a super slick shinny hairstyle. James Dean changed men’s hair styles, he is a true “Rebel without a cause”.

When I post James Dean photos I always reminisce of when I first feel in love with men’s grooming. Being a female barber I have the ability to create hair styles with my clients that not just suit their face shapes, head shapes and lifestyles I have the ability to create looks together that give my clients confidence, style and character. I personally over the years have developed a love for being effortlessly cool, I love when someone looks like they didn’t try to hard and has their own personal style and individuality. A great haircut is about expressing your personality and who you are as a person. I can tell a lot about someone with how they choose to present themselves and this is something I value most with what I’ve learnt as a women over the past 13 years of my career.

A Message From Me To You.

“A little message from me to you, I had a laugh I hope you do too. ”

“Take a trip down memory lane of some of the images I have posted on my social media over the year. ”

"Money doesn't make you happy but it makes life easier"

The inspiration for this blog came to me the other day. I was with my client Stewart Boland,  Stewart is in his 70's and he is an ex surgeon. He was watching how I hold my scissors and how only my thumb moves when I cut. He taught me how surgeons hold scissors and how by placing my fingers in a different location on the blade I can get 360 degree movement. 

This made me think about all the clients I have meet and all the things they have taught me, from business structure and growth to how one gets away with riding his Harley Davidson on the road with no helmet. I love a good piece of advice from people that can motivate me and I love to learn, learn anything I can - anything that can't be taught in school! I put some of the most memorable stories and advice I have been given below to share with you all. 

Quotes and facts from my clients - 

““The best way to source and impress new clients is looking after your current clients.
If your business needs to grow, you need to grow.
One of the greatest mistakes many businesses make is trying to be all things to all people”
Scott Kelly - McGrath Estate Agents, Network Business Performance and Training ”

““I imagine being a barber, you would meet some pretty interesting people and the various conversations held on a daily basis would be as interesting as the people sitting in the extremely comfortable chairs at Cutri and Co whilst letting Frances work her magic. The flip side would be that I can only imagine that the same conversation is had pretty much every half an hour a everyday. A little monotonous…..
How does a Construction Project Managers job compare to that of a Barber? Simple, our jobs require us to be psychiatrists. Day in day out we listen to the problems of clients, contractors and staff.
Hayden-Project Manager Construction”

“Frances - “What do you do for work?”
Anthony - “I work on a private yacht and have been in the industry for 13 years now. The vessels I have worked on over the years are the toys of people in the top 100 of the worlds wealthiest. Rather than a form of transport they are used like a giant floating holiday home and although nearly the size of a football field accommodate around 12 guests in the absolute luxury”
Frances - “Um, how do I get one?”
Anthony - Yacht Captain”

“Frances - “Con, I drove past you the other day and you where on your three wheeled Harley Davison with no helmet on! Are you crazy? How do you get away with that?
Con- “It’s a long story but it’s registered as a three wheeled car so legally I can drive around on it with no helmet on.”
Frances - “You must get pulled over all the time?!”
Con - “Lets just say if I’m going here to Bondi its at least 3 times Francesca”
Con Damouras - Bar Italia Norton Street Liechhardt ”

““There are 5 key principles to a successful business, preparation, presentation, market knowledge, honesty and innovation”
Raphael Pulera- York Property Group
”

““Always trust your gut instinct and never open business with family and friends”
Joseph - Jean Louis Joseph Birkenhead Point”

““Make sure you put aside time for yourself, for your health as well as family friends. If you don’t make that time, it will be filled up with work and you will get tired and burned out. That will be no fun”
Dr Taylor Harrison - Chiropractor, HealthSpace Rozelle.”

““First impressions last and in corporate sales it couldn’t be more true. That is why keeping on top of your appearance is so important. For me having a fresh trim is a natural confidence builder”
Jon Sommer - Ingogo”

“Frances- “Josh, I know nothing about AFL! How do you play? “
Josh - “The aim is to work the ball up the field to your teams goals by kicking, marking and hand balling the ball. It has the foot skills of soccer, tackling of Rugby and NFL (minus the pads) and the movement and jumping of basketball. Not to confuse you or anything... “
Josh Kelly - Midfielder for GWS Giants.”

““The key to any relationship, friendship or business is consistency”
Frances Cutri - Cutri and Co. Barber Shop”

The most asked questions.

Being a barber I'm always engaged in a number of conversations on a daily basis.  This is one of the best things about my job, I am constantly learning a lot of different things. For example, (did you know that the most dangerous animal in Australia is a horse?!). The conversations i have with my clients constantly inspire and entertain me.

Normally when clients meet me for the first time I get asked the same questions. I've answered the same questions over 800 times! It clicked to me one day I should write these down and answer them and put them somewhere for the world to see! so here they are. 

WHY CUTRI AND CO.? 

Cutri is my last name, it just happens to have CUT in it. I never wanted to use my last name but a friend that has his own business with his name in the title told me I should. He said you will look at it with pride. Best decision I made - I had come up with over 50 names. Why & Co.? It sounds cool, and I have an OCD with semetrey, everything has to be even!

DID YOU DESIGN THE SHOP YOURSELF?

No, I did not. I had an idea in my head but I had an architect help me bring my idea into a 35 square metre space. The black was his idea. He taught me that whenever you paint something black it makes it disappear so it gives the illusion of a larger space. The green wall was me. I love green!  its an inviting and carming colour. Its the colour of Rolex and I do love a good Rolex! It also reminds me of an old Italian mob movie. I imagine men sitting around on those old school green leather couches drinking whiskey, smoking cigars. 

DO YOU OWN THIS SHOP YOURSELF? IS THIS YOUR FIRST BUSINESS? "THAT'S A PRETTY BIG RISK FOR A YOUNG GIRL"

Yes I do. Yes it is. I had the idea in my head for over 5 years. I knew I would do it one day, when the time was right. So lets just say I had a long time to prepare myself to be set up right. My dad and brother own there own business. My mum owned her own hair salon. I guess it was sort of the norm for me to do my own. The path that was set for me. 

DO YOU HAVE KIDS?

No. (This one gives me a giggle) 

WHO CUTS YOUR HAIR?

My mum (love this question)

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING HAIR?

I left school the day after I did my year ten exam. I already had an apprenticeship lined up as I was working in a salon Thursday and Saturdays. That was 14 years ago.

WHY DON'T YOU DO WOMEN'S HAIR?

I did women's hair for five years, over the years I just realised that I enjoyed men's hair better. People think its because it's easier! Thats actually incorrect. The shorter the hair the more flaws you see in a hair cut. It also comes down to my passion for mens grooming as I explained in my pervious posts. I have this theory. To become great at something, the more you do it the better you will get! So from doing a women's colour and then a blow dry to a men's hair cut makes absolutely no sense to me. 

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS LOCATION?

I always wanted the barber shop to be in the inner west, I live in the inner west. I never wanted it to be on a main road, like Darling st or Norton st or Lyons Road. I wanted something that was for the community that had strong community support. Rozelle was the perfect place for that. The locals call it a "village" and it really does have that vibe un like any other suburb in the inner west. I love that I see my customers walk past the shop every day and we give each other that head nod that says without words "hey, enjoy your day. see you soon". I also fell in love with how beautiful Union Place is as a building. 

and last but not least - 

WHERE DO I GET MY COFFEE FROM AND WHERE DO I EAT IN BALMAIN/ROZELLE?

Penny Lane - If you've had your hair cut by me I've most probably mentioned Penny Lane. Penny Lane is a cafe by day, restaurant by night. I get my coffee there every morning before work. I even go on my days off. To me they have the best coffee on Darling Street and A LOT of my customers agree. I have dinner there at least once a week, the crab gnocchi is to die for!

Chon Thai - I love thai food, I have been to Bangkok and I got spoilt with amazing food by being taken to the best restaurants by locals. Chon is exactly what I ate in Thailand. It's got a really cool fit out and has such an amazing range on the menu. I always go for the crispy pork belly.

The Provincial - These guys are my neighbours and yes there food is undeniably good. They have a custom built charcoal grill designed for their dishes on the menu. All their meat is cooked over charcoal which gives it a very distinct and unique flavour. I have tried most things on their menu and have not been disappointed. My favourite is the wagyu short rib with watermelon salsa. They make the best Negroni I've ever had,  and I'm obsessed with there strawberry desert with basil ice-cream. 

Recco Lab- My neighbour again, this is the Italian place on the corner. Amazing pizza, I'm obsessed with there foccaccia. They have great coffee and they have a bakery on site I'm loving there biscuits, bread, cakes and pastries. They also make an amazing Aperol Spritz.

Thanks for reading,

Frances xx