Page Six had a fun piece this week: “Meet the hair extension expert behind Kate Middleton, Gigi Hadid and Alix Earle’s luscious locks.” Page Six knew exactly what they were doing by putting Kate’s name in the headline. The profile/spon-con is for RPZL, a NYC salon which is basically this year’s It Hair Salon. Founder Lisa Richards claims Gigi, Waity, Paris Hilton and Princess Beatrice are all clients. While I will always believe that the Princess of Wales has an extensive collection of wigs, falls and extensions, I don’t buy that Kate is a regular client at a NYC hair salon, nor do I believe that clever American hair stylists fly over to the UK to work on Kate’s hair. Given the sorry state of Kate’s hairpieces last year, I doubt she had quality professionals working on her wiglets.
When royals, supermodels and “It” girls want Rapunzel-level locks, they head to RPZL. From founder Lisa Richards’ NYC salon at 45 Rockefeller Plaza, the RPZL team boosts clients’ blowouts with her best-in-class hair extensions, which range in price from $695 to $1,700 — and count Gigi Hadid, Paris Hilton and Kate Middleton among their most high-profile clients.
Richards has had it “confirmed” that the Princess of Wales has worn her brand’s extensions, although it’s not known when; Princess Beatrice, meanwhile, wore one of RPZL’s padded headbands in a photo announcing her second pregnancy this week.
A rep for the Princess of Wales was unavailable for comment.
Gigi Hadid’s a RPZL regular, having worn Richards’ extensions at the 2024 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in March as well as the 2023 Met Gala, while Madelyn Cline wore them to the US Open last month. Other notable clients include Charli D’Amelio, Katie Holmes, Vanessa Hudgens, Lindsey Vonn, Poppy Delevingne and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit star Brooks Nader.
The mane maestro tells us there’s been a boom in women seeking more volume in their locks after experiencing hair loss due to aging and the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic. And while clients can have their extra hair installed at her salon, Richards also now sells clip-in extensions, clip-on ponytails and even braided headbands on her website.
“We source our hair ethically,” Richards says. “We’re the only place you can walk in and get same-day extensions in the world. It’s so cool you can walk in and walk out with keratin bond or tape extensions or a pony.”
I believe every other name here has probably been a client or is still a client. I guess it’s possible that Kate is getting ritzy hair extensions shipped over to the UK, although that’s a wild thing to claim to Page Six! I guess Lisa Richards probably figures that Kate won’t bother to deny it. Little does she know, that’s one of the few things Kensington Palace bothers to correct: reports of Botox and reports of extensions. Anyway, if I was a top-notch hair salon, I wouldn’t want my brand associated with Kate’s janky hairpieces and Loretta Lynn wigs, but that’s just me.
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