Khloe Kardashian, Cara Delevingne and Jessica Alba are all leading the new 'urban undercut' hair
trend...and you don't have to shave your head to get the look
- Trend originated on AW14 catwalks
- Some stars have shaved their heads others use cornrows for illusion
- Has been embraced by A-listers and Natalie Dormer wore it 3 days in a row
- Hairdressers give FEMAIL their tips on how to pull it off
It's the hairstyle that was once reserved for punks and male models but with a little help from the glossiest and most fashion-forward A-listers, the undercut is fast becoming the hairstyle du jour.
Cara Delevingne and Miley Cyrus, who are known for their experimental styles, were the first celebrities to rock the shaved hairstyle and now even play-it-safe Jessica Alba and Jennifer Aniston are showcasing what at last looks like newly-shorn hair.
Last week's Comic-Con International, a comic convention held annually in San Diego, was case in point. Co-stars Jessica Alba and Rosario Dawson wore matchy-matchy undercuts for the Sin City panel and Natalie Dormer loved the look so much, she wore it for three days in a row.
Trialling the trend: Actresses Jessica Alba (L) and Rosario Dawson were both seen with urban undercuts - the hottest new hairstyle to sweep the beauty world
There are several takes on the new style but whether you literally shave one side of your head like Rosario or create an illusion of the look with a cornrow a la Jessica, you'll be bang on trend this season and next.
The likes of Khloe Kardashian and Kendall Jenner have embraced a more pared-back and elegant take on the style and the usually grungy Kristin Stewart even wore the look in her Chanel campaign.
But this
isn't the first time we've seen the look. In fact, it's a catwalk style
that was trialled at Fashion Week in February that has since filtered
down to the red-carpet slowly but surely ever since.
The rebellious style, which is expected to play an even bigger part in London Fashion Week in September, was spotted at shows by Alexander McQueen, Simone Rocha and Marchesa; the Vogue beauty team have even featured a how-to in their latest issue.
She just can't get enough! Game Of Thrones star Natalie Dormer seemingly loves the new style - she's been seen sporting it at every event this fortnight
Long-standing fan: Trendy Cara Delevingne, who loves to experiment with her style, was seen wearing cornrows at last year's MET ball, left, as well as at the Elle Style Awards this year, right
Fake it: If you don't want to literally shave your hair off on one side, create the illusion by braiding it into cornrows a la Kendall Jenner, left, and Khloe Kardashian
But how do you take a tricky catwalk trend and pull the look off at home?
Steve Carr, Senior Stylist at Jo Hansford, said: 'When
deciding between the undercut or the faux undercut, you need to consider
your lifestyle and if it’s something you need to hide for work. If so,
the faux option is the best choice.
'You can
only hide a real undercut if you have long thick hair. If you have a low
parting, opt for that side. If you have a centre parting, you can use
whichever side you feel most comfortable with.
'If you
are going to be bold and pick the real option, you have to go really,
really short - you definitely don’t want to have any fuzz! You need to
have it re-shaved regularly. Your stylist will be able to help you with
placement as the distance that you go back will depend on your crown.
'If plaiting instead, decide on the number of plaits you need. They need to look neat to get the best results so you may need to ask a friend or professional for help. If you are doing yourself - you will get the tidiest results with an inverted French plait.
Famous fans: Ellie Goulding rocks an undercut on her album cover, left, while Kesha trials the trend with cornrows
'Start by using a hair oil to tame any flyaways - Jo Hansford Illuminoil is perfect for this. Undercuts work best on short, messy looks - for example Miley Cyrus, or long textured styles like Alice Dellal.
'It doesn’t work so well on mid-length or fine hair, and you need to style the hair that you leave loose with texture or movement.'
Cornrows date back to the Stone Age and were used to portray status, age, religion and ethnicity.
Fast
forward to the Sixties and plaits were used as a political statement
with many African Americans embracing their cultural roots, and now, it seems, they're a serious style statement.
According to style and brand expert Nick Ede, the cornrow is here to stay - and it's all Cara Delevingne's fault.
He said:
'Cornrows are a big trend right now that’s polarising the fashion elite!
The Cara Effect will encourage festival goers and Ibiza trendies to
embrace the trend in different ways but it will be particularly
interesting to see how it trickles down to the high street.
'I think we’ll see people trying both loose and tight styles, what will make this interesting will be seeing if they can rock it like Cara.'
GET THE LOOK AT HOME: STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Gary Evans, Director of Taylor Taylor London, shares a foolproof guide to getting the look.
- The best way to achieve this look is to section either one side or both sides of the head, the area that you would like to undercut. This is usually from the receding point of the hair line to the centre of the nape of your neck.
- Take the longer lengths that you wish to keep and tie out of the way into a ponytail leaving the areas clear to work with.
- For a real undercut, cut (scissor) through the the comb to your desired length within the section you wish to work on. For a fake undercut, braid the area away from the face to give the allusion of an undercut
- The style should be poker straight to contrast and highlight the look. Style with sea salt spray and paddle brush then blast through to the ends keeping the hair in one direction over the head and away from the area of the undercut.
- Use a strong gel and a small tooth comb to scrape hair back pinning at the nape of the neck then spraying with hairspray before letting the rest of hair fall naturally.
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