Often, when we’re interviewing stylists and clients, they’ll mention the power of the lasting relationships they’ve formed at Paris Parker. And sometimes, they don’t mention relationships in a general sense—instead, they can’t stop talking about a particular person. That’s what happened with Karen Maggio and Chris Guidry. Karen told us all about Chris, her stylist of 17 years. Unbeknownst to her, Chris had told us all about Karen, who was his very first client at Paris Parker’s Prytania location. It’s clear these two are a client-stylist match made in heaven.
Karen Maggio in 1999, when she got her first haircut from Chris Guidry | Source: Karen Maggio
“I’m a person that sticks with someone,” Karen says. “I have only gone to two stylists in my whole life. It’s great to form a relationship. Chris knows my likes and dislikes—he knows my whole family.”
A Blunt Cut (Metaphorically)
When asked to share a funny story about her time in Chris’s chair, Karen pauses. “I’m trying to think of instances that don’t include profanity,” she says, laughing.
She says Chris keeps her up to date with the trends—some of which are old fads that have become new again. “He told me about a new seminar, something to do with perms. I said, ‘Do people still get perms?’ He said, ‘Yes, they call it something else, but it is nothing but an effing perm!’ He is very frank, which I enjoy.”
The Beauty of Bobs
Karen keeps her hair on the shorter side, and she’s experimented with messy, layered and straight bobs of various lengths. “I’ve pretty much stayed with bobs,” she says. She cuts her hair every couple of months and brings in images she finds online and on Pinterest. Any time she switches up her style—which is often—she gets a big response.
“I keep up with the times, even though I am getting older,” Karen says. “I have had people stop me on the street and say, ‘Where do you get your hair done?’ And I always give out the name.”
Family Bonding
Karen is a New Orleans native. Raised on Frenchmen Street, she and her late husband moved to Metairie to raise their two daughters. She now has two granddaughters and works as an office manager at a CPA firm. She’s a NOLA girl, through and through. “I like being where everything happens,” Karen says.
Karen’s daughters and sister also see Chris for their haircuts, and maybe her granddaughters will someday, too. At this point, Chris is almost like family.
“Chris is a joy to work with,” she says. “He makes you feel at home.”
Karen Maggio today. | Source: Karen Maggio
