Syd Curry's hands have touched some of the most famous people in the world -- their heads, that is. Styling hair on celebs like Madonna, Daniel Day-Lewis, Catherine Zeta Jones and Charlize Theron, Curry's hairdressing experience has graced many a magazine cover and taken him all over the world.

He'll be in our corner of the world during Milwaukee Fashion Week, co-teaching a workshop with best friend Billy B on hair and makeup. Later that night Curry and Billy B's work will be showcased in the Gilles Montezin runway show -- a perfectly coiffed ending to an exciting weekend.

OnMilwaukee.com: How did you get your start in the beauty industry?

Syd Curry: I started beauty school when I was 16. It's all I've ever done. I didn't know there were freelance hair and makeup people. (My friends were) designers and they were doing an ad for L.A. Weekly. I did the hair for it, and this woman showed up to visit while we doing the photo shoot. She ended up owning a big hair and makeup agency and she told me to come by.

She sent me on my first test with (photographer) Matthew Rolston. In L.A. there really wasn't a fashion industry back then. For a few years before I met Billy (B), I basically did catalog and newspaper ads. What that afforded me was to work with Gia (Carangi), Jerry Hall, Janice Dickenson and Beverly Johnson -- women who taught me so much. It was amazing. Working in photography is very different from working in a salon.

So I consider myself a hairdresser. I can cut hair and do color, but "dressing" hair is what I love.

OMC: What is your all-time favorite look for hair on a woman?

SC: Lauren Bacall in the 1940s and 1950s. I love classic. The work I do is really all inspired by the past. When you look at the looks I do, it's obviously been worked on -- I can do a blowout, but I don't want to. My work has always been about dressing the hair. Even if it's hair in a beach shoot. There's a lot of work that goes into it.

OMC: What's your favorite project you've worked on? What about favorite celebrity clients?

SC: My favorite music video was George Michael's "Father Figure" video. It was the beginning of his career and he got so famous for using models in his videos. It was the first one he did where he brought fashion into the video and it was about doing the models' hair. (I didn't do his George Michael's hair; his sister is his hairdresser). There were models and a runway show, and it was all about the fashion.

Probably the most fun (celebrity to work with) was Cindy Crawford; she couldn't have been bigger. She's about the sweetest person you'd want to meet. Those days were really exiting or me. I've had a really good career.

I've been lucky enough to meet a lot of people. Billy introduced me to Mariah (Carey), and Billy and I are great friends, we've worked together for 20 years.

Billy also introduced me to Pat Field, and we just designed her hair and makeup for her new campaign. This is my first Fashion Week show and I'm really excited.

OMC: What is your consistent "look"?

SC: My work always comes out of stuff that I learned when I was 16 or 17 in beauty school. The consistent thing about my work is it's always "done." There's always a style to it. It's always something I've thought about.

It's weird to me if I have an assistant and all they know how to do is blow-dry hair. Learn your craft, study your craft. If you think you know everything, than it's time to retire.

OMC: What mistakes do you see women make with their hair?

SC: Color. I'm really tired of women with dark hair wanting to be blonde. It gets so over processed. Women make the most mistakes with color. I just see so much bad color, especially the wrong color.

For styles, I'm tired of the Victoria Beckham bob. As much as I loved that, it's OK; it's done. If I don't see another one of those for a little while, I'll be happy. Although if you can do that hair cute, you're a good stylist, I'll say that.

I like pretty. It's one thing if you're a kid and your hair is 20 different colors. God knows I had Motley Crue hair for years (laughs). But I'm big on pretty. I think that's what I love about the retro thing. I love that women took the time to set their hair, brush it and it's shiny. I'm big on hair that moves.

OMC: What are your go-to products?

SC: My must haves are a Mason Pearson brush, Elnett hairspray (it's $45 a can), a tail comb, bobby pins and hair ties.

OMC: What do you recommend women splurge on when it comes to their hair?

SC: A good haircut. Splurge on that. You get what you pay for. And a Mason Pearson brush. It will last the rest of your life.

OMC: What hair looks are hot for fall?

SC: Fortunately, I think blond is going away. I've been seeing a lot of gorgeous brunettes. Finally maybe everyone's not going to be blond. You see so many in L.A.; for the past couple of years if you didn't have fake extensions and blond hair, you're not pretty, which is sad.

Because I don't work in a salon, trends don't come that fast. Cuts like the Meg Ryan cut that Sally (Hershberger) did and the Victoria (Beckham) bob are few and far between. There are a lot of really cute short haircuts right now.

I'm so into styling that I pay attention to a stylist's work more than I pay attention to famous haircutters. The only thing (I can probably recognize is something that) Vidal Sassoon did.

I can't say, "Oh, Sally Hershberger did that," or, "Chris McMillan did that, or Oribe." Styling is what inspires me. I look at something that Danilo did and I may think, "How did he get the hair to do that, or how did he pin that?"

It's more instinctive for me. I could give a styling class, but I could never give a cutting class to working hairdressers. I just know how to get it to how I want it to look.

What are your thoughts on being a part of Milwaukee Fashion Week?

I find it exciting to be pioneer with Hillary (Fry, the organizer of Milwaukee Fashion Week).