Leather Bound »

B for Beauty Aug 11, 2009 @ 2:12pm

Stuck in the Middle

This summer we at Fashionista have been drooling over long hair and fingering our own locks, cursing them for not growing faster. The grass does always seem greener, doesn’t it?

You have hair far past your shoulders and then you think, “Hmm, that Alexa Chung sure has a cute little crop going on…” Snip snip! But two weeks later, and you’re shaking your fist at pictures of Blake Lively and her flowing locks.

Last summer I cut my hair from shoulder length to boy short à la Agyness. I was glad I took the plunge, but then let my hair grow out. My hair is back to shoulder length and I was imagining in a few months how nice and long it would be.

And then I saw this photo in Style.com’s round-up of Lollapalooza fashion.

I can’t stop thinking about this Chicagoan’s cut. It’s definitely shorter than what I had last summer, but I’m feeling adventurous, and now my fingers are inching towards the phone, ready to call the hair salon…But my long hair? Well, I could always invest in a wig.

Do you find yourself in the same constant state of non-satisfaction?

—AMANDA JEAN BOYLE

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posted by darcykins

Aug 11, 2009 2:33PM

I think it all depends on the shape of your head and face and what you can pull off. I personally am not crazy about her hair but i like her outfit.

some people can just pull off a shaved head and some can't.

way back when i was in 8th grade i recall a girl in my class had her hair shorn; she had a bumpy round head and her ears stuck out and everyone snickered and even made rude comments to her face (no one really liked her before she cut her hair) then a couple weeks later when the first girls hair was turning into a weird curling mess on her head another girl in my class, with long beautiful hair decided to get her hair shaved right to the scalp (influenced by her older and equally radiant sister getting the same cut i think). She looked great and everyone in our class complimented her on how it brought out her face and showed off her long neck more (maybe people didn't sya these things in grade 8, but that's how i remember it). Meanwhile, I was bleaching my hair for the first time and cutting my hair with sewing shears before graduation, much to my mother's chagrin.

posted by jeo

Aug 11, 2009 2:38PM

funny! a few hours ago when i was walking home from work (i live in cairo, it's almost 10pm here), i was thinking of cutting my long locks because im so sick of them and desperately wanting to feel fresh!

then, i immediately thought of alexa chung's adorable cut! i can't get her look out of my head.

thats it! im going to cut my hair tonight (i dont trust stylists here) - but only a few inches... even shoulder length hair always makes me wish it was longer. xo

posted by bellaa w

Aug 11, 2009 2:41PM

I just got extensions and I love them. Personally I look better with longer hair, but if you want to rock a short bob or choppy crop, then go for it!

posted by nycshoegal

Aug 11, 2009 2:47PM

i kind of have the same thing...but with bangs. I always want them when i don't have them, however when i do have them i always wish the whole bang thing wasn't so high-maintenance.

posted by Nacho

Aug 11, 2009 2:53PM

Yep, it depends on your face. The shorter the cut, the more feminine features you need to compensate for an inherently mannish length. I've tried short hair, and I always felt like I looked like a boy....I learned a lot about my features and my body's proportions. If I looked pixyish like Mia Farrow in the 50's / 60's, or long and slender like Freja Beha Erichsen (my current short-hair obsession), I'd do it. I need the long hair to girlie myself up, though....no getting around it. It's easy to look at a photo of a 5'-10" model with a 10" long neck and fall in love with a short crop! We rarely leave the salon looking like them, do we :-(

posted by guest

Aug 11, 2009 2:54PM

You have to go for it!!!!!
I did it a few months ago and just got it cut again the same way. My hair is a smidge longer than the girl in the picture's but it was the best thing I have ever done with my hair. It instantly makes everything you wear look for fresh and its super low maintenance. No conditioner, just shampoo - never have to straighten it or even blow dry. I never do anything to mine but air dry and put some product in it and mess it up.
You have to do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

posted by Nacho

Aug 11, 2009 2:57PM

On the plus side, having short hair allows you to rock a lot more dramatic eye makeup, which is super fun ;^)

posted by guest

Aug 11, 2009 2:59PM

too short for me

posted by guest

Aug 11, 2009 3:15PM

Well, I cut off (and donated) 20 inches of hair and went from waist length to a buzz cut... and loved it. I think I gave the hair dresser a heart attack. "Are you serious? Are you sure? This isn't because you're having a bad day and broke up with your boyfriend? Are you gonna cry? Are you gonna come back and yell at me tomorrow?" That said, it worked for me because I have fairly strong bone structure and was really confident in the hair cut.

Of course, having been dedicated to growing it out to its former super long length, I do get tempted to throw in the towel and cut it ALL off, especially now that I know it looks cute. Ultimately, though, it's hair!! It grows. There are wigs, and extensions. And it's so much easier to experiment with color on short hair.

I'm over the itch to cut it all off again since I'm in staring distance of really long hair. But if you're happy with chin to shoulder length hair, you might as well enjoy a cute short hair cut while it's still summer. By the time next summer rolls around, your length will be back.

posted by guest

Aug 11, 2009 4:12PM

I can't imagine cutting my long hair. One my hair is curly and i do not feel like having to wake up and straightening it everyday. Second of all as much i curse and hate how heavy and annoying it can be i could never imagine not having it. For me long hair is the way to go

posted by guest

Aug 11, 2009 4:52PM

I grew my hair out for years until I finally had the long auburn Julianne Moore thing happening (I'm a natural redhead). But OH MY GOD my hair was so high maintenance. My hair is not curly but not really straight either... if I let it air dry, it will be flat on top and then frizzy to the ends. So then I was a slave to my flat iron, and I had to get it trimmed really frequently (once every 4-6 weeks) to keep it from looking limp. I made the transition from super long slowly. First I went collar-bone skimming, which was fine but felt a little non-committal. And it actually required even more maintenance. Eventually I made my way to the Posh bob, which I really loved. And I may go back to it. I still had to blow dry and flat iron, but the cut had great shape and the length meant I didn't have to spend too long on it. But NOW: totally shorn, Jean Seberg in Breathless crop. And I love it. No work at all, just some product to smooth it down. It's not Barbie or Victoria's Secret girly, and I sometimes feel a pang when I see someone with truly luscious long hair. But I get compliments all the time. Not just because the cut is cute, but because it's ballsy. I know I project real confidence because I have absolutely nothing to hide under. I may go long again one day, but I'll never regret taking it all off. It's a revelation.

posted by guest

Aug 11, 2009 5:55PM

The girl in the photo is Jennifer Fichera, a model at Elite in Chicago. Her bone structure is exquisite, as are her eyes, which is why she can pull off such short hair.

posted by guest

Aug 11, 2009 6:19PM

I had hair down my entire back practically. It just kept getting in my way and I needed a drastic change so I decided to cut 10 inches off last Nov. and donate it to locks of love. It felt great knowing that not only did i make a difference in someone else's life but that i finally had a new look. That was the longest i ever had my hair. I am now tired of what has grown out to be my shoulder length hair, and even though I do miss my long hair I want to cut it a little shorter again. But I am backwards I like short hair (just past the ears) in the winter. My hair had been so long that wen I put on my coats and jackets it looked like I had a tent over my head because that was how much hair i had on my head. But I'm contemplating on changing the color and/or cut.

posted by grammyweezy

Aug 11, 2009 6:40PM

Nacho, there is nothing "inherently" mannish about short hair, it's a societal construction. Dudes had long hair for a very, very long time.
I have a pixie and only very occasionally wish that I had long hair. When my hair was halfway down my back it was so obnoxious and heavy and way too thick to ever do any cute little up-dos.

posted by RashomonRebel

Aug 11, 2009 8:53PM

Inès de la Fressange, Ingrid Casares, Jenny Shimizu, Anne Parillaud in La Femme Nikita, Jean Seberg in À bout de souffle

posted by cutefrenchy25

Aug 11, 2009 8:57PM

My hair was once in the middle of my back. Mind you, it is very thick and curly. One day in Jan. I decided I had enough of goldilocks (my hair was then auburn with highlights). I went to the salon with my mom. When my mother was getting her hair washed,I told the stylist to cut it all off. And she did. She cut over a foot and a half of hair. The girl who was washing my mother's hair said "Oh my god! That girl just cut off all of her hair!" My mother looked up and saw me, "That's my daughter". She started tearing up.

Afterwards my hair was in a very chic and severe jaw length bob (upper jaw). It was not like a pixie (like in the pic of the girl from my town). But the point of the matter is, it was the most riveting moment I had in a while. I pushed the envelope even further and dyed my hair a warm shade of dark chocolate brown.

I must say, I will never go back to long hair again.

You should try it, and if its not for you, it will always grow back (faster if you take some vitamins and amp up your protien).

posted by stylesizzle

Aug 12, 2009 2:04AM

I wish I could pull off short hair but my face is just too round for it. I used to have hair extensions and miss them like crazy; my hair won't grow past my shoulders ever and whenever I go in for a trim it's like torture knowing it just won't get any longer! If I knew my hair would grow and I could pull off the look, I'd probably switch from short to long often.

posted by guest

Aug 12, 2009 4:30PM

As Stylist I say this is your year of change so go for it. There's a short haircut for everyone, it just depends on the details. Sit down with your stylist and let him or her help you find a look that will meet with your expectations and flatter your features. If you don't like it just remember your not married to it. I wish more women would just stop acting so frightened over societies image of how ladies should wear their hair.

posted by guest

Aug 13, 2009 1:34PM

I want a pixie cut so badly but I just moved to DC and have no idea where to go for a hair stylist. Does anyone have recommendations? Right now my hair is super-long and I figured I would "test out" stylists by keeping my hair long but seeing how well they style it. When I find one I like, I'll go short. But I don't know where to start! Help please!

posted by guest

Aug 14, 2009 11:28AM

urgg, yes. i cut my hair like alexa chung short this summmer, because short hair is always good for summer. But i now kinda wish i had my long locks back. They can be very diffcult to manage, which is why i snipped in the first place.