TRENDING: The French Bob

Leave it to the French to inspire a haircut so chic, it is truly timeless. The French Bob is a cut that can dance around the cheekbones, graze the chin, or even tickle the collar bones. Length isn’t its defining factor; it’s in the woke-up-this-way effortlessness of the style. It’s a look that never goes away and when you see it, you know it. And lately, we’ve been seeing it everywhere.

We asked Holly Vatter (@hollygirldoeshair), whose gorgeous Instagram feed shows us some lust-worthy shag shapes, to speak French with us and talk about another favorite cut of hers, the French Bob.

 “It is a classic cut that changes with the decades but, always, the look is easy and relaxed, never overly trendy or severe,” Vatter explains. “We associate The French Bob with the 1960s French New Wave, and the Beatnik style, which is maybe mid-neck and with a bit of fullness at the crown, and, of course, with the movie “Amelie” and the actress Audrey Tatou. There is always an undone coolness to it.

“What I envision with the French Bob, is a French girl who goes to the Riviera and is out on a sail boat, with the ocean spray and salty air getting into her hair, and all the natural quirks and texture of her hair start to take over.  It’s that devil-may-care, French girl attitude that I think of with the French Bob because the French have such great style; they don’t overdo their makeup or their accessories and they go more natural with everything. Same with this cut. It can translate to almost any length but the key is it should never look overworked.”  

 CUTTING A FRENCH BOB

“I prefer cutting my bob with a razor, but I also use scissors instead of or in addition to a razor, depending on what my client's texture is showing me it needs to achieve the effect I'm after." 

Describing her razor-love orgin story, Vatter says: "When I was 19, I was at a Sassoon salon and cutting with scissors. Then one day, I saw Howard McLaren, one of the founders of Bumble and bumble, use a razor to create a bob on his model, and it blew my mind. He created these little feathers at the nape of the neck, creating this graduation and softness that took out the bulk and allowed the bob to move.

“With a razor, you can melt away unwanted texture for beautiful natural movement that you can’t really get with scissors. I cut wet and maintain consistent moisture throughout. I might, though, do a little finish work on dry hair.”

SECTIONING

“It depends on the person’s hair and their growth pattern and density.  I always start in the back. Many people have a lot of density behind the ears so I’ll actually take upside down “v” sections and make openings with the razor and carve out pieces within.

“It is pretty organic. The more you get your hands in it and see how hair is falling, that will tell you what is needed.”

STYLING

“Again, very organic. Sometimes when I’m cutting, especially when there is a wave in the hair, after I complete the nape I might add a little oil to the ends or salt spray so it starts to set up in the natural way it’s going to fall. Especially when using a razor --because you’re not afraid it is going to affect the mechanism of the razor (unlike a scissor)-- I’ll apply products as I go. So it’s already starting to dry and the waves are coming out. I’ll use my hands and frame the jawline and I’ll push the bangs around with my fingers and arrange them.

“The French Bob is definitely all about the cut and not about a manufactured style. It's an art form to create a style that is all about the execution of the cut and basically styles itself, either straight or curly, if done well.”

If you’re in the LA area, you can get a @HollyGirlDoesHair Cut from Seidel at her private suite inside a Salon Republic.