Armed with all the information I could find on every haircut I have ever wanted Mr. MVP and I headed to Milan, The Style Shop on Saturday morning. I had an appointment with Chip who was, quite frankly, the nicest guy who has ever cut my hair. He actually listened to me. I showed Chip pictures. Chip looked at my pictures and together we decided that every short haircut I had picked out was very cute. I felt affirmed. Thank you Chip. Now, It was go time.
I knew I was going to be nervous. It did not matter that I had done weeks of research (months actually, but who is counting) on short hair, that Mr. MVP was right there with me or that Chip was kind. Big change is not programed in me. I don’t do well with dramatic, sweeping adjustments, but my hair was a nuisance and it needed to go. After the photographs were put away I got the sense that Chip knew what I was looking for, so I put my hair in the hands of a dually trained pro and took a really deep breath.
When the first cut was made I nearly crumbled. Mr. MVP could tell I was panicking and he quickly started to ramble about every topic he could think of. We talked about Audrey Hepburn, her Vespa, big round sunglasses and adorable clothes. I was channeling Audrey the entire haircut. Chip just continued to cut, which is normal for him, Mr. MVP continued to talk and I continued to smile (freak out). I should note here that Mr. MVP was sitting on a rolling stool and the woman who cuts hair in the area next to Chip apparently owned that stool. She was not happy that another human was using her stool and her way of asking for it back was less than nice. The stool debacle was the only negative or uncomfortable interaction we had at Milan. The entire staff was unbelievably accommodating to both Mr. MVP and I, even with my allergies and all my weirdness.
What is there to say about the middle of a haircut? Chip cut my hair. The end result is the photograph above and I know I look horrified, but I’m really not. Chip wanted me to point out that absolutely no product was used on my hair and if product had been used, my hair probably would have looked more polished (my words, not his). I have severe allergies, so products were out. Even Aveda products.
We left Milan and went directly to our favorite restaurant, Food Dance, for lunch. I’m not sure if it was haircut karma, but Food Dance was packed and we were seated in one of our favorite employee’s sections and the first words out of her mouth were, “you got a haircut and I LOVE it”. Mr. MVP had been telling me how good it looked, Milan staff told me how cute it looked, Chip reassured me that I was Anne Hathaway adorable, but I felt out of sorts, so when my Food Dance friend (who I think is very badass), unprompted, suggested my new look was a keeper, my confidence started to grow. I am not a hugger, a feeling sharer or an emoter, but if I wasn’t in a super crowded room, I would have burst out in tears. I was relieved.
Growing into my new haircut is going to take time. I’ve never lacked self confidence, but I have always lacked the ability to process change efficiently, even when the change was my bright idea. I have noticed that my new cut is a little fiddly and because I have absolutely no self control at all I find myself constantly re-adjusting my hair because it feels like parts are sticking straight up, even when they are not. Maybe I was lucky ending up with Chip and Milan, who knows. Right now, I need to find a pair of movie star sunglasses to match this amazing short haircut.