For Pete’s Sake Jon Peters Wig
Barbra Streisand wore this pixie cut wig by Jon Peters in “For Pete’s Sake” (1974). Jon was born in Van Nuys, CA. His mother, Helen Pagano came from an Italian family that owned a major salon on Rodeo Drive. After Jon’s father died he acted out. He was sent to reform school and eventually to live in NYC with male hairstylist friends of his mother. They turned out to be sexual predators, and he ran away, ending up homeless. He eventually found work at an NYC hair salon and made his way back to LA in the 60’s. After years of building a celebrity clientele, he was able to buy back his family salon on Rodeo and rename it The Jon Peters Salon. Jon’s biggest break came in 1973 when he was asked to style wigs for Barbra’s upcoming film For Pete’s Sake. Barbra and Jon went on to date for many years. During this time he worked as a producer on her Butterfly album, A Star Is Born and The Main Event. He eventually left hairdressing behind to produce films full time.
Jon strove to make Barbra’s hair look more young and hip than styles she had worn in previous films, and this messy pixie look did just that. The pixie cut dates all the way back to the early 20th Century when women dared to break the molds of femininity by cutting their hair shorter than ever before. The haircut really exploded in popularity when Audrey Hepburn wore the style in 1953’s Roman Holiday. In the 60’s Twiggy and Mia Farrow famously rocked this look. Today, the pixie cut remains a bold, sexy and empowering look for women. Two lace front wigs in this style were created for the film, both of which sold at auction in 2004 for $260 and $400 respectively.