The super bowl: one part Gucci and another Deirdre Barlow, the bowl haircut is the season's hottest trend

...a magic mushroom is the season’s top hairstyle
Emma McCarthy6 June 2016

On the subject of memorable haircuts, I feel more than qualified to discuss. Throughout most of my formative years I sported a rather fetching, impressively curvaceous bowl cut.

In authentic bowl-cut fashion it was the handiwork of a Tupperware-and-kitchen-scissors job and the result of my point-blank refusal to allow my hair to be brushed. It also earned me the nickname The Beatle.

Back then I had no idea that my childhood mushroom would reappear on this season’s Gucci catwalk, never mind become the must-have do for fashion enthusiasts - and not just for those under the age of six.

Witness tween favourite turned megastar-in-the-making Zendaya, who chose last month’s Met Ball to unveil a sleek jet-black bowl cut - a look reminiscent of the early Noughties AOL poster girl.

While sources - specifically, recent picture evidence of the starlet working the red carpet with long, honey blonde locks - suggest Zendaya’s dramatic transformation is the work of a wig, the actress is still our millennial bowl ambassador of choice. Second only to Peyton Knight.

The St Louis-born model burst onto the scene during the spring/summer 16 shows, when she made her catwalk debut for Alexander Wang in New York complete with freshly sawn-off bowl cut. The dramatic makeover came courtesy of scissor-happy super-stylist Guido Palau, who hacked off her chest-length locks backstage in a bid to help the new face stand out. It certainly worked.

But while it may have been a bold move, Knight has embraced what she considers is a surprisingly versatile cut. Speaking to Vogue, she said: “I love how many different styles this cut can accomplish. When they initially cut it I didn’t know how functional it would truly be. But every show and shoot I’ve done, they’ve made a completely new look.”

Peyton Knight walking for Gucci (catwalking.com)

Sure enough, Knight’s future star status was confirmed when she reappeared a few weeks later at Alessandro Michele’s debut Gucci showcase sporting a smooth, curved-under blow-dry and giant specs. It was a look that earned her the pseudonym Gucci’s Deirdre Barlow.

But you don’t have to be an international model to pull off Coronation Street’s most iconic do. “It’s such a classic cut, it works on smart City types all the way through to high-fashion and grungy looks, depending how you wear it,” says Susannah Jones, co-owner of achingly cool Shoreditch hair salon Butchers.

But while this look may be democratic, it’s not without its limitations. As George Northwood - the man behind Alexa Chung’s covetable crop - advises: “If you have rounded features, steer clear of the bowl. A round shape cut will only make your features more round.”

Jones, on the other hand, says all is not lost for less-chiselled types. “If you have a round face - which is usually the typical shape that would shy away from that cut - you could take away a bit more weight out of certain areas, add a bit more texture or style it to the side. This will still give the overall effect of a bowl but with a modern twist.”

One good thing to note with the 21st-century bowl brigade is that it doesn’t have to mean hours lost to the salon chair. “Modern bowls look better when they grow out - the shaggier the better,” thinks Northwood.

“It’s a strong shape that works best worn soft, so try rough-drying your hair and spray Redken Pillow Proof Two Day Extender to give that next-day texture and finish with Redken Wind Blown dry finishing spray to leave hair matt and shaggy.”

Bowl with it.

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