Wednesday, January 5, 2011

What About (the) Bob?


Katie Holmes/InStyle.com
Gwyneth Paltrow/InStyle.com
This week we talk about another haircut that never seems to go out of style; it simply evolves – the Bob. We’re talking about a hairstyle that had its beginnings in the 1920s Prohibition Era, when women threw off the chains of highly elaborate long coifs that they were required to then pin up for propriety. The bob represented women dictating how they would wear their hair, rather than bowing to male-dominated ideals of femininity. At the time, bobbing one’s hair was practically a scandal!
Dame Helen Mirren, InStyle.com
Ellen Barkin/InStyle.com
Iman/InStyle.com
Today, the bob is a highly feminine look that can be customized to virtually every face shape and hair texture. In the last year, a veritable bevy of A-List Hollywood celebs wore a bob: Charlize Theron, Ellen Barkin, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Olsen, Dame Helen Mirren, Iman, Jada Pinkett, January Jones, Kirsten Dunst, Scarlett Johanssen, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Patricia Arquette, Renee Zellweger, Katie Holmes and most recently, Jessica Alba.  
Jessica Alba/InStyle.com
 
Renee Zellweger/InStyle.com
Jennie Garth/InStyle.com
Each bob is unique, and highlights that celebrity’s features with variations like a chiseled edge to accentuate cheekbones or a bit longer to soften a strong jaw, a fringe of bangs to bring out the eyes, or an almost-shoulder-grazing bob that accentuates a swan-like neck. Bobs are versatile and easy to maintain, and allow you to try out many looks by cutting variations over time.
Scarlett Johanssen/InStyle.com
Bobs can be sharp and architectural like those of Katie Holmes, Rene Zellweger, Jessica Alba, and Gwyneth Paltrow; softer and wispy with some layering like those of Iman, Jennie Garth, Helen Mirren and Ellen Barkin, and even asymmetrical and punky like Scarlett Johanssen. I will consult with you on the right bob for your face shape, hair texture, and how much time you will devote to styling and maintaining the look, then create a unique bob especially for you.  
And like bangs, a bob grows out quickly, and can be transitioned into longer or shorter styles very easily when you decide to undergo another fashion metamorphosis.

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