A mani and a blowout at Blow in the Meatpacking District.

Amidst the chicest clubs and restaurants of New York City’s Meatpacking District sits the bright pink home of an even bigger trend. Blow, situated at 342 West 14th Street, is just one of the many essential blow-out stops getting penciled into the overflowing schedules of Gotham’s hippest women. Blow-dry bars are taking the wash, cut, color and style hair-salon cycle to a one-stop, celeb-worthy style service.

“In New York City, there is always an occasion for a blowout,” Diana Pratasiewicz, a manager at Blow, says above the roar of blow driers and quaint music. “Whether it’s an important meeting, or you’re not feeling so great and you just want to give yourself an instant makeover, or it’s an event with the girls.” Put simply, there’s never a not good time for a blowout, except possibly when you’ve just had one.

It is a regular Friday afternoon at Blow: the appointment book tightly packed, the swivel chairs lining the length of the salon fully occupied, and the bustle of the street outside rivaling the bustle of customers inside.

Rachel Zoe, co-founder of DreamDry.

“We have women who have standing appointments with us: they come in on Mondays and they come in on Fridays,” says Ms. Pratasiewicz, talking as swiftly as the stylists are working. “We’re seeing more and more women fit that Blow Pro blowout into their schedule.”

The “groomers” meticulously attend to every stray hair while clients peruse magazines, taking a minute to relax or, if they aren’t running to another appointment, taking a few more minutes to get a manicure simultaneously with their blowout—an added service at Blow.

Maria Peterson, her hair sectioned off in clips, and nails being coated with a bright red sheen, blushes as we approach her. “I’ve become very dependent on these services,” she says. Her dependency is closing in on a decade; she has been a client at Blow since 2005. “It’s such a time saver,” she adds. One stylist, drier in his left hand, round brush in his right, is tackling Ms. Peterson’s auburn hair, while a second beauty professional works on her nails.

If two stylists and a 45-minute grim-to-glam transition isn’t quick and accommodating enough, Blow has partnered with Nordstrom department stores to launch outposts in the West Coast and with Macy’s in Herald Square to offer an even more time-saving range of services. The goal is to take efficiency another step forward with dry-style pods—an express blowout that revives style without a wash.

Blow’s competitors aren’t simply “on the map,” they’re all over it. At Drybar, you can get your blowout with a glass of champagne whether you’re in Tribeca, Flatiron, Midtown, the Upper East Side or Murray Hill.

Anna Cooperberg, a student at Columbia’s Journalism School, considers herself a Drybar regular. “Everything is taken care of, it’s very dependable,” she says. “Every detail is attended to.”

From the “Straight Up” classic blowout to the “Mai Tai” (a sexy, beach-hair look) to the “Shirley Temple” (cute curls for the divas ten and under), Drybar has managed to put a modern spin on your grandmother’s beauty salon, and women (sometimes even men) of all ages seem on board with the trend.

“If you have to go somewhere you can just hop in and hop out if you have an appointment,” says Sahar Saleem, a 21-year-old client at Drybar. “A lot of women are devoted to that.”

More blow drying at Blow.

Ms. Saleem also admits that although “$40 isn’t bad to get your hair done,” it wasn’t her top priority when it comes to spending decisions. And in a period when full-service hair salons are losing profits as consumers cut back on cuts and perms, a venture in this industry may seem more risky than opportune.

This didn’t stop DreamDry CEO Robin Moraetes and uber-stylist and DreamDry co-founder Rachel Zoe, from opening their first location in New York’s Flatiron District on Valentine’s Day this year. In fact, Ms. Moraetes informs us that although the passé, regular hair salon industry is suffering difficulties in the market, the “quick-service blow-dry industry has seen a 30 percent increase in the last year.”

Apparently, primetime Saturday appointments at DreamDry have to be booked weeks in advance. Not bad for the barely three-month-old establishment. “Our busiest time is early Monday morning,” says Ms. Moraetes. “The busiest days are Fridays and Saturday mornings, by far.” Luckily, they’re open as early as 6:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.

“We always want to look and feel the best we can,” Ms. Moraetes says, attributing near-magical powers to DreamDry’s services. With a blowout, “you feel like you can pretty much accomplish anything.” DreamDry’s target woman is the mother, the daughter, the CEO, the assistant: actually, DreamDry’s target woman is “everyone.”

ygayduk@observer.com

Rachel Zoe, hairstyle specialist. (Patrick McMullan)

It's the trend that won't stop giving: Stylist and "fashion" "icon" Rachel Zoe is turning her reality television show chops toward a new project ... a New York blow-dry bar. (Not to be confused with the already existing Blow or DryBars in the city.)

Ms. Zoe's DreamDry--which will boast 20 stylists working at an already-leased 2,000-square-foot Flatiron-area building (no pun intended) at at 35 West 21st Street in preparation for the collaborative efforts of the stylist and her partner, former CAA agent Robin Moraetes--is the only the latest in the absolutely ridiculous series of hair concept boutiques that have been plaguing metropolitan cities in recent years. We're living in the sad reality when $40 for just a blowout is considered reasonable, as long as you are also given some free coffee and get to watch Mean Girls on closed-captioned TVs.

Ms. Zoe tells People:

“Hair is the perfect way to reflect your personal style — it’s such an important component of creating and completing your look ... To me, hair should be considered an accessory — it changes by event, season, mood. With DreamDry, we are creating a place where women can go to ensure that their hair is consistently as stylish and chic as they are.”

Funny ... we thought Rachel Zoe's favorite accessory was her baby son Skylar? Well, this announcement should at least draw attention away from the sad reality that Ms. Zoe's actual fashion line is not a big hit overseas: she'll be avoiding London's Fashion Week because Selfridges is dropping her clothing from their stores.

So, which party had the best-dressed attendees?

The show, which will premiere October 2, is a psychological thriller focusing on CIA agent Carrie Mathison (Danes) who investigates the disappearance and ultimate recovery of a Marine missing in Iraq.

Changes at the new Lucky magazine led by Brandon Holley: Alexis Bryan Morgan has been named executive fashion editor; Gilt's Stephanie Trong is now deputy editor; and Harper's Bazaar contributing features editor Laura Morgan is special projects director. [Daily Front Row]

At 10am this morning, Barneys Coop on Atlantic Avenue officially opened its doors. [Racked]

Tim Gunn says Lady Gaga is not fashion. [OMG]

Kanye West attends fashion shows because he wants to "see the art" before a "Barneys buyers separated it out." [Vogue UK]

So she didn't plan the outfit ahead of time? "No, no, no. I plan it five minutes before I leave!"

We, on the other hand, had to wake up at the crack of dawn just to get to the tents on time looking presentable -- but that, we suppose, is why Ms. Zoe is a respected professional stylist and The Observer is not.

“Starting tomorrow, you will receive The Zoe Report, a daily email featuring my current obsessions in the ever-evolving worlds of fashion, beauty, and lifestyle,” she wrote. “I am beyond excited at the opportunity to connect directly with you!”—and us with you, Rachel!—“Looking forward to sending some glamour to your inbox. XO, Rachel Zoe.” Her name was signed in cursive, lest we cynically suspect the letter to be written by an assistant, or computer-generated or something.

The next morning, Tuesday, Aug. 4, the Transom received some glamour in our inboxes. It took the form of Lola Platform Pumps ($680) in leopard print with elastic detailing, by Brian Atwood. “I DIE,” Ms. Zoe wrote. (“I Die” and “Bananas” have been trademarked by Ms. Zoe’s lawyer.)

“With fall just around the corner, these shooties* are a must-have transitional piece to help you segue through the seasons.” Ms. Zoe continued, defining the asterisk-marked word as a combination of shoe and booty. She advised that we wear them with dark skinny jeans, a T-shirt and a tuxedo jacket. In the event that we are poor, Ms. Zoe thoughtfully included a similar pair from Steve Madden for $129.95.

The next morning brought more excitement in the form of Anita Ko’s pyramid bracelets and earrings, $3,600 and $315, respectively. For the less fortunate: a $33 pyramid ring at Ettika.

On her Web site, to the right of the newsletter, we noted a “Social Zoe” section: Rachel can be reached via Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, meaning more Zoe more often. To the left is a photo of the stylist in all black, wearing knee-high, platform leather boots; gold chains; a floppy, leopard-print hat; white motorcycle gloves; and red lipstick.

On Thursday, Aug. 6, Ms. Zoe switched it up and turned to beauty, recommending Skyn Iceland’s Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels, $45 for a box of six. “When my routine Venti Awake Tea (+ 2 Splendas, please) doesn’t cut it, I rely on these paraben-free, fragrance-free patches of wonder to liven up.” No cheap version this time.

Friday brought a “super soft destroyed tee” by Raquel Allegra, whom our guru calls an “apparel architect.” The striped, shredded top’s hand-dyed finish took Ms. Zoe back to her Grateful Dead days.

The stylist took Saturday off from her newsletter duties, but returned Sunday with Barton Perreira Starlet Sunglasses ($525). “If you can get the visual of me as a tween, skating at the roller rink in red satin pants, a spandex tube top and gold headband, you’ll know why I’m so obsessed over these shades,” she said. Quite a visual! “In fact, they’re a favorite in my shamefully towering pile of do not disturb signs.*” Huh? “*Do not disturb sign = sunnies, preferably oversized, used for masking tired eyes, hiding make-up from the night before and politely avoiding conversation.”

Something went terribly wrong at Ms. Zoe’s offices on Monday because our newsletter didn’t arrive. The Transom checked her Twitter and learned that she spent the weekend in Malibu. A representative for Ms. Zoe declined to say how many subscribers the newsletter has, but said that in the first day, additional server capacity had to be added to accommodate traffic, and that subscribers tripled in the first week. We wanted to compare to Gwyneth Paltrow’s traffic in her first week of Goop, but her rep did not return calls, either.

No matter: Ms. Zoe returned on Tuesday with a red cashmere capelet from Prabal Gurung ($2,400) “It’s no wonder he’s already adored by red carpet veterans like Demi Moore,” Ms. Zoe wrote of the designer. “I’ve dressed her in two of his looks. [Smiley emoticon]”

Her baby-blue, low-cut romper at the CW upfronts in May; the backless, one-sleeve, high-slit teal Versace number at the Met Costume gala; and the unflattering, eggplant Burberry Prorsum dress at the New Yorkers for Children benefit were not so well received. 

Ms. Lively does not employ a stylist. Or so she says, anyway. (A rep for Ms. Lively did not return the Transom’s calls.)

“She’s the one that looked like a mess in that Nina Ricci dress at the Golden Globes!” sniped celebrity stylist Phillip Bloch, who has worked with Halle Berry and Salma Hayek. “This is why you need a stylist. If you go to a designer, their goal is to get you out the door and on the red carpet in their gown come hell or high water. They’re never going to say, ‘This just might not be right for you.’”

And yet, Ms. Lively and other actresses, including her Gossip Girl co-star Taylor Momsen, Chloë Sevigny, MTV newbie Alexa Chung, and, sometimes, Kirsten Dunst, Natalie Portman, Tilda Swinton and Sarah Jessica Parker, are increasingly going directly to designers, visiting showrooms and runway shows, borrowing clothes and thereby cutting out the people who used to broker such deals.

“It used to be that none of the designers even knew the celebrities. The only real designers that had a presence in Hollywood were Versace and Armani,” said Mr. Bloch, who began working in the early ’90s. “We became the liaisons. Then as time progressed and everyone got greedier, they want to cut out the middle person.”

Perhaps this has something to do with stylists like Mr. Bloch, the name-dropping Rachel Zoe, and TLC’s Stacey London, who once worked with Kate Winslet and Liv Tyler, becoming themselves the stars of shows about their industry—at times gaining more publicity than their clients—and, in a sense, destroying the mystery of how the stars’ looks were constructed.

“I worked with Jennifer Lopez years ago, and her publicist came to me once and said, ‘Jennifer doesn’t like you talking about other people you work with. Jennifer wants it about her,’” recalled Mr. Bloch. Actress Debra Messing reportedly parted ways with Ms. Zoe after feeling ignored by the fame-grasping stylist. “When you’re shooting your own show and have all that shit going on that Rachel does, it’s hard to be there for clients,” Mr. Bloch said. (Ms. Zoe could not be reached for comment.)

Meanwhile, design houses are becoming more aggressive about the process, hiring “celebrity services” reps (Lauryn Flynn at Burberry; Nicole Snoep at Calvin Klein) and courting clients directly instead of going through their stylists. “There are dedicated VIP-relations people at virtually every major house that make outreach to actresses and their publicists before premieres and major award shows,” said Annabel Tollman, stylist to Scarlett Johansson and the Olsen twins and the former fashion director of Interview.

Personal stylists are an easy line item to cut in the dwindling budgets of movie studios and major networks. (’Member when Ms. Johansson reportedly missed the Cannes premiere of Vicky Cristina Barcelona after the studio wouldn’t pay for her $4,000-a-day makeup artist?) “Ellen Pompeo and I had lunch a couple of weeks ago,” said Mr. Bloch. “And she said ABC gave her $500 for hair, makeup and stylist to go on Letterman to promote the next season of Grey’s Anatomy—that ain’t gonna cut it!” (An ABC spokesperson said they do not comment on hair and makeup budget for its actors.)

But sacrificing these hardworking fashion advisers, as Mr. Bloch pointed out in Ms. Lively’s case, is not always a good idea.

“I think people who have worked with stylists believe they have learned enough that they can step out on their own,” said Robert Verdi, who’s made a career of critiquing celebrity style. “But it’s like having some legal issue pending and going to court and defending yourself because you took a few legal classes versus going with a lawyer. Which one do you think will have a better outcome?”

View a slideshow of Ms. Lively's best and worst looks here.

Actress Rachel McAdams has stopped in (without Josh Lucas), and so has Leo DiCaprio, also notably solo. Stylist Rachel Zoe and actress Kate Hudson were spotted sipping Champagne, a blur of blond hair dancing on blue-velvet banquettes. Designer Charlotte Ronson has been there for some late-night dancing with her boyfriend, and celeb DJs Will.I.Am, Nick Cannon and Little Louie Vega have all spun at the club, which features crystal chandeliers and metallic-detailed mirrored walls that interior designer Marc Dizon of Lews & Dizon pantingly called “a hybrid modern-day marriage of Steam Punk–cum–Age of Innocence salon.” 

“People always envision celebrities to only want to be in this very exclusive environment,” said co-owner Adam Hock. “I think it’s contrary to that. … It’s almost like they want to mix with the general public. It’s not this exclusive velvet-rope scenario anymore.”

Recession-minded details include larger-than-average cocktails. “It’s not five years ago, so if you’re going to charge a customer a significant cost for a cocktail, you have to give them value for that,” Mr. Hock said. “It’s only fair.”

Co-owner Chris Reda (of Room Service) says the locals love the club. “We’re getting a really good response from the neighborhood.” This could be due to the space’s soundproof insulation—the two men describe it as “a box inside a box”—to keep the noise from bothering the neighbors.