The Mod Bob's Women Style

 

The Mod bob’s origins

It’s fair to say that the Mod bob isn’t truly a revivalist hairstyle. What, then, influences it?

When you look back at the era, Brigitte Bardot was the poster girl not only for not only its hairstyles but the era full stop. Hence it’s not a bouffant that we speak of, but rather the Brigitte Bardot hairstyle with its bed hair qualities and centre part. Unlike some of her fellow Sixties beauties, Bardot chose to cater to her sensual and messy side, with the allure of her trademark hairstyle resting just as much on its untidiness as on her personality itself. And it’s this allure that 2012′s revival of a short bob hairstyle with Mod overtones rests upon – consider it the short haired sex kitten look.

But the 1960s bob wasn’t all about the sex kitten, particularly when it came to American royalty. From 1961, Jacqueline Kennedy changed the way working mothers approached their wardrobe and beauty cupboards. In fact, one could argue that she placed fashion on the map of American politics, as far as the First Lady is concerned. Despite changes in the length of her hair and precisely where she parted it, over the years the wind-swept, outwardly flicking version of Kennedy Onassis’ hairstyle remains her most iconic.

One last person: the 1960s can’t be written about without a mention of Twiggy. While hair lengths now provide little in the way of shock factor, the length of her Twiggy’s hair was revolutionary for the time. a super short bob, well above the ears, with side-swept fringe that was monitored with a bobby pin. This Mod hairstyle became a sensation, especially popular amongst schoolgirls for its prim-and-proper, neat look. However, it was often shunned for being androgynous and too bold.

So there you have it: three icons of the 1960s, each with hairstyles that had little in common save for their length. What does that give us for 2012? An amalgamation of all three.

The Mod bob now

The ‘60s had more hairstyles than what can be counted on fingers, and all the Mod bob in 2012 borrows heavily from the three previously covered hairstyles. From Bardot we get the volume, from Jackie O the shape, and from Twiggy the parting and the Mod vibe.

If you’re looking for the perfect example of how the Mod bob revival should be worn and styled then you need look no further than the Arizona Muse and Daphne Groeneveld 60s inspired photo shoot for issue 35 of Self Service magazine. Much hyped, it’s Muse who rocks the hairstyle and whose model-of-the-moment qualities have propelled it into 2012.

The Mod bob how to

The Mod, 1960s bob is a hairstyle dependent on texture. You need the added volume, the oomph and the strength to make it seem like you’ve spent hours on styling it (but secretly, you haven’t). To make the hairstyle work now remember to avoid making it a precise replication of the era. You’re not aiming for Twiggy’s hair, nor Bardot’s. Instead you’re aiming for a hairstyle that evokes and romanticised the 1960s, even if it didn’t really exist within the iconic images of the day.

The cuts

While hairstylea in the 60s were certainly made up of more than one distinct length, it was an era very much defined by its shorter hair – hence 70s fashion is all about length. So it is that this is a style designed for those with a bob haircut. The best length for the cut of the bob is chin length, but it’s also going to be able to work with a shorter, Twiggy length bob. If you are having your hair cut shorter, the trick is to maintain the sharpness and strictness of the bob by booking regular follow-up trims, ideally every 6-weeks.

Despite the fact that it’ll heavily downplay the effect, it is possible to interpret this hairstyle without with a bob. In this case the style is far more dependent on styling. The haircut, however, can be layered or a levelled and a fringe is optional.

The tools

To style this look, you’ll be able to make use of

• hair mousse
• volumising cream
• hairspray
• a hair straightener and/or curling wand
• a comb
• a paddle brush
• bobby pins

Styling it

The mantra is texture – this hairstyle is all about getting the texture and volume around the crown.

1. Take small sections around the crown of your head and backcomb it. The general rule for backcombing is to take a tail-comb brush and comb the hair three times in a downward motion. Don’t be rigorous and rough as you’ll damage the roots. Section the hair in three parts and that should create enough volume around the crown.
2. Lightly settle the flyaways and spray and generous amount of hairspray onto the bouffant section.
3. Pick a hair parting now; we recommend the site parting as worn by Twiggy and Arizona Muse, though you’re equally as able to borrow from Bardot should a centre-part better suit your face shape.
   
4. If you opt for a center part: Whether you have a fringe or not, part the hair down the middle and pull back the hair from either side. Secure the sides with bobby pins, just behind ear at eye level. For long hair, create wavy curls or even straighten the locks.
5. If you opt for a side part: Taking inspiration from Muse’s textural styling, create a side part on the right. Pull the hair on the other side and secure with a bobby pin at eye level. This will work best if you have a side fringe. End all styling with hairspray.