Thinning shears and straight-edge razors have their time and place, but it’s not here and it’s not now. The freshest hairstyles—whether bangs or ends, short or long—have one thing in common: a straight, blunt cut.
OK, Bettie Page, we see you with your little fringe. Only this time around, it’s called #babybangs. And while the edge is still as sharp as a paper cut, the glossy convexity is gone. What makes this generation of supershort bangs more punk than pinup is texture. Katie Moore’s rough bob, Julia Ratner’s easy waves, Nova Orchid’s lived-in bends—as long as the length is imperfect, the fringe is flat, and there isn’t a roller set in sight, this micro look isn’t remotely girl next door. Unless the girl next door is a total badass.
When was the last time you read a haircut story that didn’t include the words “face-framing layers”? Sure, they’re flattering. And reliable. And expected. Which may be why hairstylists at the spring shows did away with piecey cuts, adding extensions to models’ hair and buzzing the ends to get an ultracrisp line. “Straight hair feels cooler when it’s one length,” says hairstylist Guido, who resurrected Donatella’s signature crisply pressed style at Versace. Hairstylist Eugene Souleiman also relied on flatirons to create artificially glassy sheets of hair at Acne Studios. The only tool that was more important? Heat protectant—lots and lots of heat protectant. Models at Versace—including Gigi Hadid—had their hair ironed into blunt curtains; electric razors were used to create the sharpest edge possible at Acne Studios.
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“Asymmetrical” and “bob” make a solid pair. But sometimes they can be a little too inseparable—like that couple who constantly post TBTs of themselves fake-laughing in front of a sunset. It’s time for the bob to explore its options. Blunt cuts are breathing new life into boyish cropped styles. “It’s simple and refined without any tricks—a palate cleanser,” says Guido, who let rivers of hair fall to the floor as he created laser-sharp bobs backstage at Prada. A blunt silhouette is still possible with wavy textures, but it’s lighter, rawer, and more nuanced, says Souleiman, who dampened models’ hair with water and let it air-dry at Chloé.
Long enough to pull back and short enough to frame the neck, a lob is the Great Compromise of haircuts. It can be curled for texture or layered for interest. But it’s at its most sophisticated when it’s sleek and blunt. If you’re not walking down a runway, ask your stylist to cut the outer layer of hair slightly shorter than the rest with a few vertical snips at the ends. “It keeps the cut from looking too square, but it maintains the illusion of a blunt line at the bottom,” says hairstylist Mark Townsend.
Now, check out these sexy haircuts for oval faces:
