A well-coiffed crowd of about 250 salon-industry folks gathered at Park West on Monday evening for an event called "Wake Up and Smell the Coffey," hosted by trade publication Behind the Chair. Offering a business-minded presentation from Tabatha Coffey—the famously foulmouthed star of Bravo's hair-centric reality shows Shear Genius and Tabatha's Salon Takeover—the event was an easy sell for attendees, according to the publication's senior editor Kerri Lee.
"Our industry loves Tabatha," said Lee. "People clamor to see her at trade shows and events. She truly is a celebrity and draws a crowd." It was Coffey's ability to lure fans, Lee said, that inspired the idea for the event. Behind the Chair founder Mary Rector-Gable, who's friends with Coffey, said, 'Why not take Tabatha on tour [to Chicago], since there are so many hairdressers who can't get to her shows or events, but desperately want to meet her, thank her, and listen to her words of wisdom?'"
At the Monday night event, which drew industry reps from states including California, Hawaii, and Massachusetts, guests had the opportunity to pose with Coffey for keepsake photos, and absorb her professional tips during a 90-minute, characteristically expletive-laced presentation.
The event wrapped up with a broadcast of the season finale of Tabatha's Salon Takeover, which aired that night. According to Lee, putting the event together was "easy-breezy, because we knew exactly what we wanted."
Gift bags contained autographed copies of Coffey's new book, It's Not Really About the Hair, and the latest issue of Behind the Chair.
