Classic Bob

The classic bob is the oldest haircut in modern fashion — Louise Brooks wore it in 1925, and a hundred years later nobody has actually improved on the basic geometry. Cut to the jaw, blunt across the bottom, with the front falling about a centimeter longer than the back so the line swings slightly forward when you walk. No layers. No face-framing. No softening. The shape is the shape.

It flatters oval and heart-shaped faces most cleanly — the strong horizontal line at the jaw is what does the work. Straight hair is the natural home; you can wear a bob on waves, but you'll spend more time styling it. Most people who wear a classic bob have it cut a touch above the jaw rather than at it, because the line falls more cleanly when there's no chin to interfere.

Medium maintenance — looks best straight-blow-dried with the ends turned slightly under, which takes about ten minutes. Trims every six weeks keep the line sharp; let it go longer and the bottom starts to fray. Wearable to anything from a Tuesday meeting to a black-tie wedding without changing the styling, which is part of why it has lasted a century. Ask for 'jaw-length, blunt, with the front 1 cm longer than the back' — generic bob requests get bad bobs.