Will we ever tire of the classic bob? If the internet, my commute or the red carpet is anything to go by, the answer is no. Everyone from Jennifer Lopez to Greta Lee has adopted excellent examples of the style over the last few months, and we aren’t getting any less obsessed with dramatic, long-to-short hair transformations – Gigi Hadid, we’re looking at you.
As spring rolls in, here are some of the coolest bobs of 2024.
Old Hollywood bob
While the deliberately undone and lived-in French bob will never not be chic, there is a distinct move towards more polished, glamorous styles. Think coiffed waves, zero flyaways and a high-shine finish – see Greta Lee’s old Hollywood style at the Golden Globes earlier in the year, as well as Sydney Sweeney, whose Marilyn Monroe-inspired look won the Oscars. For a beautiful finish, try the new Zara Hair Light Hair Balm, which smells as good as it looks.
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Kicked bob
The coolest way to wear a blunt-cut bob now? With a kicked edge. When Gigi Hadid chopped off her signature lengths in favour of a midi-bob, she debuted the look on Instagram with slightly flicked ends. At the Schiaparelli spring/summer 2024 show in January, J Lo made a dramatic entrance to the show with a wet-look finish and kicked ends, and Ayo Edibiri also looked beautiful wearing the trend at the Emmy Awards.
“A trick like this can completely transform your current bob, and you don’t have to do much at all,” hairstylist Luke Hersheson said of the look. “Use a hair tong or straightening iron to gently kick out the ends, so that it’s subtle and not a huge flick.”
The long bob…
… Or should we call it the midi-bob? A great choice for those growing out shorter bobs, a midi-cut – one that sits beneath the jaw and just above the décolletage – is fast gaining in popularity, especially with those over 50. Super flattering on different face shapes, wear it with lots of texture (as seen on Jennifer Aniston), or with a bouncy finish, like Pénelope Cruz.
Baroque bob
“Voluminous, sculpted waves,” is how The Hair Bros hairstylist, Francesca Inverarity, describes the baroque bob – Google searches for the style have exploded (by 1,000 per cent) in recent months. The “glamorous and sophisticated” cut is marked by its volume and luxurious finish, and is yet another example of how we’re currently in search of hairstyles that look a little more “done”. Zendaya is the ultimate poster girl for the look.
Bobs with bangs
Something else we are frantically searching for on Google? Inspiration for “bob hairstyles with bangs”. Whether you opt for a graduated curtain fringe or a fuller style, parted slightly in the middle, the key to making a bob-and-bangs look work is to play with texture and shape. Anything too neat can look overly strict or regimented.