Spring's New, Cropped Cut

This summer, fashion brought new life to old trends, one of the most popular being cropped clothing. Crop tops, cropped trousers, and now, cropped hair. While the pixie cut has been around for quite some time, it’s never seemed so fresh or unexpected. Models such as Agyness Deyn and celebrity muses like Michelle Williams have had us loving shorter hair for a while now, but the rendition that supermodel Carmen Kass debuted on the Balmain runway in Paris is something we haven’t quite seen before. Kass, the face of Michael Kors, is known for her long, lustrous blonde locks, so the simple act of removing so much length caught may people off-guard. However, unlike the cropped cuts of the past, Kass’ new ‘do was sultry rather than spunky. Instead of cutting it super short, stylist Sam McKnight chose to give the Estonian beauty a more androgynous look. Opting for long, undone layers in the front, the cut gets shorter and more structured as it reaches the back of the neck. Many have started calling it the “backwards mullet”, but not a single person has seen the look without singing its praises. This hairstyle truly accentuates the trends of the season, as it gives off a more rugged, androgynous feel without losing its femininity. The best thing about this style is not just that it’s unexpected, but it is unbelievably versatile. It can add toughness to the sweetest floral frock, keep things casual with cargo skinnies or basic denim, and will complete a look rather than compete with it. Of course, just like any other haircut, it is better suited for certain face shapes. However, the look is spreading like wildfire, so any stylist should be able to see a picture and create a custom version for each individual client. With that said, no one should dodge the cut in fear that it will look too harsh. It’s daring, yes, but the long layers will accentuate feminine features and make anyone’s bone structure appear more defined- something that “too short” styles fail to do. After seeing this look pop up more than once at several different shows throughout fashion week, it’s safe to say that “the Carmen” just may be the must-have hairstyle this spring.

By Ali Antonucci