Maria, a FIVE-TIME GOLD MEDALIST in Italy’s national style competitions, has had a passion for hair since she was 12 years old, when she started working as an assistant in a salon near her home in Calabria. Following in the footsteps of her grandfather, a career hair stylist in Sicily, Maria won FOUR FIRST PRIZE AWARDS for creativity, skill, and original hair design during her seven years in beauty school. After graduating with honors, her ambition to be a professional stylist took her to Florence and Rome, where she worked for ten years beside Roberto D’Antonio, one of Italy’s hair and fashion all-stars. In 2005 she brought her talents to New York, where she continues to dazzle her clients with cuts, color, and styles that have won her a devoted following.
Maria Teresa’s star-studded clientele includes Brooke Shields, whose hair she styled for the Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ wedding; clothing designer Jill Stuart, and a long list of international personalities and actresses including film stars Monica Bellucci, Stefania Rocca,
Sabrina Ferilli, Naomi Cambell, Laura Morante, and Broadway actress Serena Autieri.
With impressive skill and flair, Maria Teresa creates sophisticated yet trendy “looks” for men and women that can take them anywhere uptown, downtown, city, country, home or abroad. Her cuts, color and hair designs have been featured at the Rome Haute Couture Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week, Pret a Porter Fashion Week, and at high-profile weddings and in fashion editorials on the pages of top magazines including VOGUE Italia, Grazia and Gioia. She was also a lead stylist in runway hair design at fashion shows in Europe featuring Valentino, Gattinoni, Rocco Barrocco, and Lancetti. Her hair and fashion styling were also showcased by celebrities and models at the Tribeca Film Festival in Manhattan.
Through it all Maria had one lifelong dream, to open her own world-class salon. That dream came true in 2008, when she opened the doors to Più Tono.
Riza is one of the most sought-after hair stylists in New York, followed by devoted clients for more than 15 years, she made the quick climb from lead stylist at a chain of Manhattan hair salons to head stylist at an exclusive Upper East Side venue. Her lifelong dream of welcoming clients into her own world-class salon came to fruition in 2008 when Più Tono was born and opened for business. Since that day the word of Riza’s “hair magic” spread and the business grew to enormous proportions.
Riza is known for her precise cuts, which she tailors to each client’s face and personality. She then adds the critically important texturing and styling that creates an individual’ signature “look.” With the right cut, she can transform texture and style to make thin hair appear thicker, and thick hair more supple and manageable.
She transforms curly hair to straight and vice versa, with healthy, fabulous results. Riza understands how hair works and what it takes to give each client their own personal style and she does it with finesse.
She is also an accomplished high-tech colorist who creates color effects ranging from electric, to classic, to highlighted, to low-lighted, under-lighted or tone on tones. Mixing her own color formulas ensures each client a personalized color signature – enhanced by a cutting-edge, creative look and individualized color and style.
Once you’ve experienced Riza’s cut and to-die-for color, she will teach you how to maintain and style your hair to keep it looking great. She can take you from ‘mundane’ to the Top of Your Game. At Più Tono, Riza will update your look to unleash the real you!
In 2008, these two hair and fashion dynamos joined forces to create the hottest hair salon on the Upper East Side. In only two years they have assembled an impressive, cohesive team of talented stylists, attracting upscale clients from the U.S. and abroad.
Their formula for success is sharing both a lifelong ambition to open a salon in New York and offer every client their own personalized cut, color and style, making every visit to Più Tono a fun and memorable experience. Together, Maria and Riza, who hail from Italy and the Philippines, reflect the vibrant creativity drawn from their different cultures in their unique, thoughtful approach to the art of styling hair.
Più Tono On the Move!
Both inside and outside the salon, Più Tono stylists are a favorite choice for celebrities, film producers, designers, and others with discriminating taste and style.
Their recent projects include:
Gigi D’Alessio concert at Radio City Music Hall, 2011 with special guest: Anastacia, Liza Minnelli, Sylvester Stallone, Paul Anka, Mario Biondi, Manhattan Transfer, Christian De Sica, Enrico Brignano, Benvenuti & Griffith, Valeria Marini and Ivete Sangalo Fashion shows for “Nara Camicie” and Daniela del Cima Fashion Week photo shoot with Jo Champa for “Facconable” Photo shoot for “A Taste of Chic” magazine “Fiorucci Kids” Fashion show in NYC Styling for singer Giada Valenti for her concert and TV appearances Color and styling for actress Valeria Marini Cut and styling for TV actress Elda Alvigini Color, cuts and styling for Miss Italy USA Pageant (2007-2010) Futher celebrities: Danny Quinn, Ed Speleers, Jane Alexander, Richie Lionel, Val Kilmer
Editorial shoots with: Nanette Lapore for WWD Rosy Garbo for Italian Bride magazine Susan Rockefeller for Lifestyle magazine Actor Stany Coppet for the New York Times
