BY VIVIAN KELLY ÷ Internationally renowned hairstylist, Garren [no last name, please], is an enigma. He is referred to as "the best cutter ever" by beauty maven Linda Wells, editor-in-chief of Allure. It's said that new clients have to wait over a year to get an appointment with him. He is also fashion's most sought-after hairstylist, collaborating regularly with photographer Steven Meisel and supermodel Linda Evangelista÷who's back after a three-year hiatus. As if this weren't enough, he has the Garren salon in Henri Bendel, a top-flight artistic agency, and his expanding year-and-a-half-old haircare line.

One of Garren's best-known collaborations is with designer Marc Jacobs. I received permission to attend one of fashionland's biggest scenes: backstage at the biannual Marc Jacobs runway show. I am there strictly to observe; no questions are permitted. Garren, like Marc, is a small slip of a man, Zen-like in his aura of calm. There's nothing flamboyant about him and his movements are careful and exacting. He is utterly focused on the model in front of him, oblivious to the scene around him. GARREN New York haircare products are scattered all over the table, easily identifiable by the large gold "G" his agent, Jim Indorato, says took months to get "just right." The girls' chignons are slicked back with GARREN New York styling cream, one of his favorite products. Only hours earlier, Garren's people were scouring the city for bang hairpieces. Marc's latest idea was that the girls had to have bangs. I leave backstage, not seeing any bangs on the tables or the models.

As we wait for the show to start, I ask Linda Wells why she and the rest of fashion's first string are willing to sit around and wait for over an hour to see a 15-minute show so far off the beaten track. She reflects before answering. "Neither Garren nor Marc is obsessed with trendy statements. They understand how individuals want to look. They don't feel the need to stamp what they do with trend. Garren has incredible taste and confidence in what he does and is not showy or annoyingly Îfashion' about it."

Wells first met Garren when she started out as an editor at Vogue in the '80s. Garren was working at a Glenby salon at the Plaza. In the early '90s, he hooked up with Steven Meisel, and they became, in her estimation, "the team." She adds, "[Garren] really understands beauty so incredibly well; he could be a plastic surgeon. He has tremendous focus and that surgeon-like availability to analyze your bone structure. His main objective is to figure out how to make a woman look her best," she says approvingly.

At 10:20 p.m., the show finally begins and Sarah Jessica Parker, Anna Wintour, Donald Trump, and the rest of us lean forward in anticipation. The models hit the runway÷no bangs! Instead, the girls sport slicked-back, prissy-yet-cool chignons reminiscent of Julliard students.

Weeks before Marc's show, I interviewed Garren on one of his "salon days" in between client appointments.

VK: You've worked with every major model over the course of your career. Who are your three favorites?

G: Absolutely Linda and also Amber and Gisele. They are able to become something else and keep growing as they work and are professional too. The role of the photographer is essential, too. Steven [Meisel] is great. He plays with fashion and is wonderful at finding new faces to work with.

VK: You've always been closely involved in helping Linda create her many looks.

G: We [Steven Meisel, Stephane Marais] just did a big portfolio that will run in September. I cut her hair into a layered cut. [Then we] colored it light brown and put golden blonde highlights in the front. [Editor's note: at the time that we spoke, it was a secret as to which magazine Linda shot for. The stunning layout can be found in the September 2001 issue of Vogue.] She's also doing a big campaign for Blackglama furs, but I don't know if she'll do runway.

VK: People have certain notions of hairdressers, namely Warren Beatty's hunky ditz, George, in the '70s comedy Shampoo. What kind of personality does it take to make a great hairstylist?

G: (laughs) George is one image, and it's real. I'm the opposite though. I just do my work and my craft. I admit that I am very opinionated even though I'm not a caricature like George in Shampoo.

Linda Wells says that one of the things she enjoys about her visits to Garren is his directness in all matters. He has an opinion on all subjects, from what new clothes to get to sensitive issues such as whether or not you need to get any surgical work done÷but only if asked.

VK: How long have you been doing hair? What was your ambition when you started out?

G: I've been doing hair since I was 13, living in upstate New York. I did everyone I could: my mom, all the kids in school. I've always enjoyed creating a finished look that works with everything you wear.

VK: You've managed two very successful careers. You're both an editorial star and the owner of a top salon. Was this your dream?

G: It was my intent to do both. I log in 12 days a month at the salon and 10 days in the field doing editorial and advertising work. I have always wanted to be in touch with reality (the salon part). The fantasy is doing Marc Jacobs÷you can push the envelope there. You can't do the exact same thing in the salon. I will and absolutely do say "no!" to a woman if what she asks for is not right. With a new client you have to take it gently and explain why not.

VK: What do you love the most about your two careers?

G: I adore helping my people become mini-stars. They're like my kids and it is about sharing it all. I love seeing them get excited about doing their first Vogue cover or their first ad campaign.

VK: How do you choose the talent for your Artistic Division? How do you find the talent for the salon?

G: For the agency, it goes through a process, one that Jim Indorato and John Shegda are very involved with. The kids who are closest to me are the ones who come out of the salon, whom I work side by side with.

Prior to speaking with Garren, I checked out the salon, on Henri Bendel's third floor. The handsome space was inspired by a Parisian townhouse from the Deco period. Leopard accents give a little kick to the warm muted tones of the French limestone and oak backdrop.

VK: How do you want a woman to feel when she walks into your salon?

G: Women comment to me that they feel relaxed in it. It's got an elegant masculine side to it; things that are over-the-top go out of fashion.

VK: You have been called "an extraordinary talent" and "the best cutter ever" by beauty mavens like Anne Marie Iverson [editor-in-chief of YM ] and Linda Wells. They say that you study a woman's bone structure before you cut a single hair. What's your approach to cutting?

G: I really have to get a read on the woman sitting in my chair first. I have to go along with them, see who they are, look at what they're wearing. It's a personal thing. I construct the haircut so it's easiest for them to handle.

VK: How long should a cut last?

G: Short hair should last for four weeks, long hair six to eight. A good cut should grow out well. I've gotten comments from many clients that the cut I gave them grew out into another good cut.

VK: If you hadn't gone into hair, what would you have done?

G: There was never anything else.

VK: What is your greatest professional accomplishment?

G: My first wish was to become a name in a magazine. My second was to have a salon in New York City. My third was to have my own haircare line, and my fourth, to have an agency.

VK: It sounds like you've got it all. What do you want next?

G: To continue my line with increased distribution. I like the idea that people who can't come to the salon can also use my products.

VK: Would you ever sell to a Lauder, like Bobbi Brown did?

G: I would definitely sell it. Everyone's dream is to sell their line to a big company. You can do so much more when you do. I want people to know I exist.

VK: You're constantly surrounded by the best fashion has to offer. What labels do you like to wear?

G: Gucci, Prada, some St. Laurent, and Gap, sometimes. Designer clothes make me feel good.

VK: What womenswear designers do you admire?

G: I want a woman to look like a woman. I'm into fur and leather. I like John Galliano. He curves the clothes to a woman's body. Marc is great too and Anna Sui is fun. For sportswear, it's Calvin Klein and Michael Kors.

VK: What do you do to relax?

G: I go to my place in Virginia with my two Pugs and direct work on the gardens.

VK: And finally, how long a wait for a haircut with you, really?

G: Two months if you're lucky or it could be two years for an appointment with me.

VK: Thank you for your time, Garren. Maybe I'll see you at the salon in a couple of years!