Although the Beverly Hills Frederic Fekkai salon offers private event space—the rooftop terrace and café can hold 200 guests for receptions—the company took to local spot Nic’s Restaurant & Martini Lounge for its annual holiday party. Despite last night’s downpour, a bevy of well-coifed stylists, staffers, and Fekkai himself ventured to Nic’s, where they congregated in the lounge and sampled an assortment of premium vodkas from the venue’s refrigerated Vodbox room.
“I actually think this year’s party is very good. It’s different, we’ve never had it here before, so it’s a step in the right direction. I’ve been with Fekkai for six years: three years in New York, three years in L.A. The holiday parties in New York were really good only because the staff was really big, so it was a bigger event. But this one is more intimate, and it’s just very different—a good different. Great choice of venue this year. “
—Katie, colorist
“It must be a great time—that guy is puking on the sidewalk. I’m having a great time. They have a chilled vodka room in the back where you can do shots—that’s an added bonus.”
—Eddie, manager
"We’re enjoying our time and partying a little bit. It’s just something simple. We have the back room. It’s open bar and we have appetizers. Unfortunately they didn’t do anything special with the decor. When you do a party with people you work with every day, [spending time with them in the evening] is a little bit of your duty. But it’s good karma. You have to come to these things with an open mind and just make a little effort to be here.”
—Phillipe, hair stylist
—Grace Walker, front desk staffer
“Like any party that Frederic throws, this was amazing. He really cares for his employees. He’s just a great guy, and I’ve been here for seven and a half years and I couldn’t imagine anywhere else I’d want to be. This year’s party was much better than last year’s because Frederic was actually here—not that he’s never here, but he was actually with us, and there’s just a good synergy between him and his employees.”
—Rich, colorist
“I thought it was great. It was very comfortable, and I think they picked a nice spot for the party. The food was nice, the drinks were great. Everybody was happy to be here. The lighting’s beautiful, and I love that they have these beautiful little silver trees—it’s decorated really nicely. The lighting’s good, everybody looks good. Of course we all styled before we got here—we couldn’t be around Frederic with bad hair."
—Laurie Lively, friend of Fekkai
—Walter Nicholas, florist for Fekkai salons
“It’s good to regroup all of our team members and create a little bit of family-oriented feel; we love doing that every year. It’s something that’s very important to us. It’s nice to get out of the salon ambience and your everyday life. We love to get out of the context of the hair business. The ambience here is mellow with the low lighting. It’s very intimate.”
—Maurice, artistic director
“The decor is very festive, but it’s not too much. It puts you in the holiday spirit. The music is good because you can talk with people. It’s not like ‘boom, boom, boom,’ so that’s nice.” —Ann, hair stylist
“The bar is awesome, the whole back room is awesome. They had a vodka freezer; it was very special. And we had great food. We had delicious vodka—it was nice to be able to taste all the different kinds of vodkas in a cold room, where you got an authentic feel.” —Tamra, stylist’s agent
“We’re just with our family and close friends, and it’s nice to be with each other outside of work. We spend so much time together, so it’s nice to be out of our work environment and just have a drink or two together.” —Shauna, assistant
“I think this party is divine. It’s fabulous. I just love seeing all my coworkers outside of work, in a looser environment. Everybody is more themselves, and everybody is having fun. It’s a good place, festive, different. We’re in the salon the whole day, so it’s nice to get out and have a good time.” —Jessica, stylist
“It’s an amazing party. I mean, it’s really great that Frederic has come down to join us this evening, and we’re having a great time.”
—Willliam, colorist
