How Orlando Pita Does Fashion Week
Photo: Alex Cayley/Trunk
He popped up for a second on Sex and the City, and was a mentor on Shear Genius, but legendary hairstyist Orlando Pita is everywhere in the beauty industry. He’s styled runway shows for everyone who’s anyone, from Prada to Vera Wang, and worked with the greats in every field, from Yves Saint Laurent to Richard Avedon to Madonna. You could say he was a natural. After moving from his native Cuba as a child, Pita’s first clients were his brother and his grandmother. He was only 14 years old when cutting and styling hair became his passion, but his hobby eventually became a profession of epic proportions.
Aside from styling hair for magazine covers or A-list celebrities, Pita is also the owner of Orlo Salon in New York and has his own collection of grooming products. Yet you still find him working his magic and cementing trends backstage at New York Fashion Week every season. This week he’ll be creating looks from BCBG to Diane Von Furstenberg, Oscar de la Renta to Michael Kors. We caught up with the designer to find out how he survives his grueling schedule.
I fill my bag with… my cell phone and my schedule. I need them with me at all times.
My go-to outfit is… dark colors, because backstage you don’t want to have big sweat stains under your arms. It seems like we are at our hottest now in August and September. And I always wear my cross.
The only shoes I’ll wear are… my Saint Laurent sneakers. I want to look good, but I’ve got to be comfortable.
I snack on… raw coconut water. I try not to snack too much and keep it to meals, because the whole month we will be getting served sandwiches and muffins and bagels and croissants and donuts. So I have to try as much as I can to eat a proper meal. Anything but a sandwich!
Four weeks before fashion week, I…start planning, because you have to get the teams, the agencies, and the sponsors in place. Then I take August off to revive myself. I turned off my phone August 5 and I re-plugged in last Wednesday, the 27th. From my husband to my agency, they can’t believe that I can do this.
The night before, I…. am going to have an early dinner and go to bed so I can be up early. I quite like the rush and adrenaline. I get off on it, obviously, otherwise I couldn’t be doing it for this many years.
In the morning I eat… plain 2-percent Greek yogurt and two hardboiled eggs.
If I have a minute to workout I… have a routine for keeping my back straight. It’s a downward dog push up. I started yesterday doing 25 in the morning, and I’m building up to 50. I do deep knee bends for my legs because I am standing all day.
You’ll catch me reading… the New York Times.
I get around in… my car. I bought one two weeks ago. I couldn’t deal with Uber-ing and car service again. It’s my moment to relax, listening to my music.
The only way I can clear my mind is… breathing word exercises I do at night so I won’t think about the show the next morning. But, I don’t want to be too detached. I want to be in it all because it’s how I get inspired during the month.
My coffee shop order is… plain coffee, black, maybe one or two sugars. I have one in the morning and one when I get to the show.
If I’m losing my mind I repeat…. three prayers that I say in my head. Miraculously, it all clears up. I made them up myself because I know what I need.
The song that pumps up my energy is… “Problem” by Ariana Grande. But it’s mostly because I can’t get it out of my head, not that I want it in my head.
My favorite part about fashion week is… I love the clothes. I would have been a designer if it wasn’t such hard work. [Laughs]
But I can’t handle the… models not coming on time. So I make sure I have enough girls ready so when the late girls come in you can have the team pounce on them. I approach it like I’m competing in the Olympics. I don’t party and I don’t go out to do extra-curricular things because I want my shows to be great.
I wind down with a glass of… wine. Or I like a Bombay Sapphire gin martini dry up with olives.
