The bob is a classic haircut and so is the soft-layered look, say city hairstylists who believe that shear delights are here to stay

By Hemal Ashar

Aneesha Virani

CLASSICAL CLIP: Aneesha Virani believes layers and the bob will never go out of style PIC/ATUL KAMBLE

BOB it is for Aneesha Virani who says that the classical bob and a soft-layered haircut will never go out of fashion. The Breach Candy salon stylist adds, “the classical bob is a haircut which looks great on women of all ages, even on a child or an older woman. It looks cute, as well as distinguished. It is very neat and very easy to maintain, in fact like wash ‘n’ wear.”

On the other hand, Aneesha says, “The soft-layered haircut is a very glamorous look and looks great on all lengths from the collar bone to the waist. Once again, it scores on maintenance. It scores because it looks great on straight as well as curly hair.”

When asked to name women who carried off classical styles with panache, Aneesha says, “The bob has been carried off by many Hollywood actresses through generations, like Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra, Posh Spice who carries off different variations of the bob so stylishly too. Natalie Portman also is a classic beauty that carries the classical bob beautifully.

With the ’70s came the layered look, Farah Fawcett from Charlie’s Angels made the whole big hair layered look, a complete rage then and till today glamourous layers still rule the roost in hair and fashion. Julia Roberts of Pretty Woman was another style icon with the layered look. Other actresses like Drew Barrymore, Michelle Pfeiffer and Scarlet Johansson look great with layers.”

Aneesha finishes off saying, “hair, like fashion is cyclical, (fashions come and go and come again) but layers and the bob will always remain, maybe with a bit of variations just to complement fashion.”

RAINA AND AINA: Hakim with Suresh Raina

Aalim Hakim

India cricket captain for India’s tour of Zimbabwe, Suresh Raina got his hair shorn at stylist Aalim Hakim’s Bandra salon prior to leaving for the tour. Aalim’s chat with the cricketer was memorable.

Says the hairstylist, “Raina told me that as a cricketer he was spontaneous and as a professional I agreed with him. While one needs to think about things, too much analysis bogs a person down.”

So, when Aalim was asked what he thought was a classic hairstyle he said spontaneously, “the bob is very classic. It has been very popular all over the world.

In the African continent, women who have traditionally curly hair straighten their hair and go in for the bob. Big bobs too can add volume to your hair and make it look fluffier.”

Aalim says, “Wavy hair too will always be classic. It gives one a very sexy look like several James Bond girls have. The fringe is also classic from Sadhana to Bipasha have worn it because it softens the face.”

Yet, why should gals have all the fun? Aalim adds, “The Elvis Presley quiff style is classic for guys.” He ends with, “you can tweak a classic style and make it contemporary maybe, by adding colour.

NEAT: S Jerajani PIC/SAMEER MARKANDE

Seema Jerajani

SEEMA Jerajani does not even stop clicking with her scissors as she says fluidly, “A classic haircut is one which is timeless and the one that most fits this description is the bob. Vidal Sassoon really was the pioneer of this modern cutting style, he became an icon in the industry.”

Seema adds, “there is also the comparatively classic but lesser known wedge cut and the firefly cut. The graduation technique used in cutting builds up the weight or volume of the hair.

The graduated bob in fact, needs a lot of practice to perfect. Several Indian hairstylists struggle to train extensively for these cuts, because they need a very good teacher and very short hair to practise on.”

Seema though explains, “it does not mean though that Indian women cannot carry off the graduated bob well. Bipasha Basu had a good bob haircut, Mandira Bedi and Priyanka Chopra too have had bobs. These are worn the world over and they are eternal.”

According to Seema, “classic hairstyles in fact, can be changed or tweaked a little, maybe the parting would change to go according to the face shape. One needs to stylize the cut to suit the person and personalise the haircut to go with the structure of the face,” she explains.

Like everything else though, the Juhu salon owner stresses the importance of a solid foundation, and great technique saying that a hairstylist strong on technique would be able to create any haircut – a classic of timeless elegance or a short-lived fad. “It is not just haircuts, even hair cutting techniques itself – like the one length, the layers and graduation are classics too,” signs off Seema.

Damodar Chavan

THE SCISSORS ARE CREATIVE TOOLS: Damodar Chavan PIC/ SATYAJIT DESAI

For Damodar Chavan, a classic hairstyle is one that lives on long after its cropped cousins have faded into the background, a style that is most importantly, “neat and clean. The Vidal Sassoon in London best epitomizes this cutting style. Contrast this with Tony & Guy which is more known for the unlevelled kind of spiky look.” The hairstylist who has 30 plus years’ experience says, “the bob is a classic but a majority of Indian women hesitate to go in for the look simply because it is short. I would tell them to get rid of their fear of short hair. The bob is very versatile and one can go in for a slightly longer look with a jaw-length cut. What makes it classic is that it is very sharp.”

Damodar also says from his Dadar salon that the hallmark of a classic cut, “is its simplicity. It is not even low maintenance but no maintenance. Just a wash, dry, comb and you are good to go.” He says classic cuts, “can be modified in some ways to suit face shapes, for an angular face for instance, I would go for a little more volume to give it a fluffier, heavier look.”

Damodar says, “Right now, men especially are going in for the gelled, spiky look, but that needs styling. I do not consider it a classic. That though is not to say that one cannot indulge in a little fun if feeling adventurous. Go for it, if you think that’s you – but a classic will always outlive that short-lived high you get from a with-it style.”

hemal@mid-day.com