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Why the pixie haircut is the short hairstyle trend everyone loves - and how to wear yours in 2022

Emma Watson as the new face of Prada Beauty; Sarah Paulson at this year's Vanity Fair Oscars party; Sharon Stone in June at a Dolce & Gabbana event - Prada / Getty Images
Emma Watson as the new face of Prada Beauty; Sarah Paulson at this year's Vanity Fair Oscars party; Sharon Stone in June at a Dolce & Gabbana event - Prada / Getty Images

It's a brave thing - to go for a proper chop when at your routine appointment at the hair salon. While the majority of us applaud the shorter hairstyles around, few of us can actually go through with it. So what makes the pixie haircut so special? A trending 'do, it is popular styled long, messy - the list goes on.

If you've lived a life with hair below chin length, going that short takes guts - and petite, symmetrical features, if we're being honest. But sometimes you just need to see it to believe it. Which is why when Emma Watson made her debut as the face of Prada Beauty this week, with a fresh new pixie crop, it garnered so much attention.

It's not the first time she's done this - Watson reinvented her image post-Hermione with a pixie cut back in 2010, a fresh start after years of keeping her look consistent for the Harry Potter films. For Gwyneth Paltrow's character in the 1998 film Sliding Doors, a radical pixie cut served the same purpose.

pixie haircut best styles how wear style short hair 2021 long messy - Instagram/@nicolekidman
pixie haircut best styles how wear style short hair 2021 long messy - Instagram/@nicolekidman

A more accessible take on the look comes courtesy of Nicole Kidman, who wears a longish pixie haircut in the Apple TV+ series Roar, a reminder that if you play with the contrast of short (back) and long (front), the pixie can suit everyone at every age.

There are others who demonstrate the haircut's merits impeccably. Take Tilda Swinton, 61, who showed off a clementine-hued long pixie at the Cannes Film Festival last year. Meanwhile the Handsmaid's Tale's Yvonne Strahovski, 39, posted a side-swept style on social media, also last year.

There's no ignoring Maye Musk, 74, who proves that the versatile short/long style is utterly ageless. Musk styles hers in a quiff, to the side, and sometimes with curls. As does actress Sharon Stone, 64, who had her bob cut into an elegant long pixie at the end of lockdown.

In our conversations with top hair stylists, they often refer to Kate Moss's early 2000s pixie that she then grew out into a peroxide blonde short, floppy New Romantics style. Both equally chic.

Thinking of going from long to short? Then, look no further than these shining examples, below.

5 reasons why the 'long pixie' is the most wearable hairstyle of the moment... perhaps ever

1. Any texture goes

Sharon Stone wears her pixie spiky, curly and straight, showing the haircut's versatility and how it can be styled a little messily.

sharon stone pixie haircut trend hairstyle messy long textured
sharon stone pixie haircut trend hairstyle messy long textured

2. Softness around the neck is super feminine

By leaving a few wispy bits around the neckline and around the ears, it helps to create a flattering feminine vibe.

3. Bold colours elevate the style

From Tilda Swinton to Helen Mirren's previous pink style, the bolder the hair colour, the classier the look.

tilda swinton elegant cannes long pixie cut messy hairstyle trend love
tilda swinton elegant cannes long pixie cut messy hairstyle trend love

4. The length at the front softens facial features

Kate Moss's noughties pixie is soft and fluid.

pixie haircut trending love style kate moss soft long
pixie haircut trending love style kate moss soft long

5. It can be styled a number of ways

Maye Musk wears her long pixie over her forehead or blow-dried back to create added volume.

maye musk haircut hairstyle pixie long forehead
maye musk haircut hairstyle pixie long forehead