A new 'crop' of Hollywood's leading ladies are stepping out with ultra-short hair. Some, like Harry Potter star, Emma Watson have used a dramatic change to mark the end of an era, while others, like actress, Carey Mulligan have chosen a soft, short cut to perfectly compliment delicate features. One thing that all of these women have in common is boatloads of confidence. I'm going to break down a few of my favorite looks for short hair, from those who paved the way, to those recently spotted on the red carpet. With the right styling and the right products, short hair can be modern, sexy and surprisingly versatile.
It's hard to talk about iconic short hair without Mia Farrow coming to mind. The waifish movie star first said good-bye to her long, blonde locks for her role in Roman Polanski's 1968 film, Rosemary's Baby. Farrow wore her inch-long pixie with minimal makeup, but enviable self-assuredness that had woman all over the world trying to replicate the look.
No modern beauty does Mia Farrow's sexy yet simplistic style quite like Michelle Williams. In recent months, the My Week with Marilyn star has shown us that short hair can be effortlessly chic whether running errands in Brooklyn or accepting a Golden Globe to a packed house of Hollywood royalty.
I was fortunate enough to work with the award-winning actress for several weeks on the press tour of her latest film. When a client has so many high profile appearances in a short period of time, versatility becomes more important than ever. Key elements, like wardrobe, makeup and accessories influenced subtle changes I would make to the style and texture of her hair.
I found that layering a combination of three products: Sebastian Professional's Potion 9 Lite, Molding Mud, and Trilliant, would allow me to make subtle changes to each look without compromising movement and texture.
I would begin by applying Potion 9 Lite to damp hair then blow the hair out close to the scalp to remove unwanted volume. This step is super-important to avoid a puffy, 90's-esque feel. Sebastian Molding Mud is the perfect product on this length of hair to play with texture and versatility. A gentle spritz of Trilliant adds glamour and shine for the perfect red carpet finish.
I also had the opportunity to work with Anne Hathaway for her first official event with short hair - the Decades Ball benefit gala for Lapham's Quarterly. Though the stunning brunette cut her hair for her upcoming role in Les Misérables, the look has gotten tons of attention off screen. This cut works beautifully on her and really shows off her features. Without long hair to hide behind, she is all big brown eyes, perfect pout and tons of confidence.
To style her hair, I blew it dry close to her scalp using a Mason Pearson brush to direct the roots flat. I added texture to the hair with Sebastian Molding Mud and, for shine, I used a spritz of Sebastian Trilliant.
It's not that these women are among the first to wear short hair well -- Louise Brooks, the legendary silent film star debuted a severe short bob in the 1920's, and Audrey Hepburn's 1950's crop with short fringe became an instant classic. In the 1980's Madonna rocked a short style with tons of volume and in the 1990's Linda Evangelista pushed conventional boundaries with a fire engine red look with asymmetrical fringe.
What makes the modern interpretation of short hair so special is precisely because it's not worn with shock value in mind. Rather, it's an evolution of the classic beauty -- and one of my favorite looks for 2012.
To learn more about me, my work and what inspires me, please check out my blog HAIR by THOMAS DUNKIN or follow me on Facebook.