Sometimes it feels like you need a beauty glossary to make sense of the hair and makeup terms that get thrown around, especially when it comes to the next best thing.
That’s because it’s quite often a term we haven’t heard before, made up by an industry expert to describe a move they’ve been using of late.
Recently we’ve heard about the surging popularity of the ‘bixie cut’ for those wanting to update short hair.
Another area that is a surefire way to ensure your hair stays on-trend? Cutting in a fringe.
It’s something many of us have pondered from time to time, but if you’ve been put off by the commitment or thinking it might not suit you, there’s a new style that makes the change a little easier. Plus, with the weather starting to cool, a fringe is easier to wear than in the summer months, as you wont have to worry so much about sweat and humidity making it separate or look greasy too soon.
‘Bottleneck bangs’ is the new fringe look du jour, making its way through Hollywood celebrities and mere mortals alike, as the fresh and flippy hair trend is flattering, easy to wear and probably most importantly – easy to grow out.
In addition it takes its cues from a soft, sweeping 70s sensibility that has been infusing both fashion and beauty lately, something that’s perfectly aligned to adopt for autumn.
Sidenote: If you’ve never searched for fringe inspiration on Google before you make the chop, you may not know that ‘bangs’ is the term most commonly used for what we call a fringe in the northern hemisphere, but they mean the same thing.
Unlike a classic fringe that sits across the eye-line, Bottleneck bangs are named because they start shorter at the top and are often parted, then graduate to longer pieces that curve around the eye and cheek line, creating a bottleneck shape.
Those longer pieces, that work kind of like shorter layer, can either sit inwards flick outwards a little, similarly but with not quite as much ‘bounce’ as a Farrah Fawcett’s famed ‘do. There’s a lot of movement and texture involved in Bottleneck bangs which provides versatility for the style, and more ‘lived in’, undone and effortless they look the better.
The difference from the also recently popular ‘curtain’ fringe is that the curtain fringe falls strictly on each side of the face without any fringe in the middle of the forehead. Bottleneck bangs still have those shorter pieces in the middle.
View this post on Instagram
Recently worn by the likes of Dakota Jonson, Lily Collins and Kaia Gerber, it’s tricky to pinpoint exactly who coined the term but the growth in its popularity is most often credited to London-based hairstylist and international creative/colour director for Evo Hair, Tom Smith, who initially made a clip talking about Margot Robbie’s look on the cover of British Vogue. Smith noted the style had been repeatedly requested since the magazine came out.
In a second video Smith uses the term ‘bottleneck’ to describe the look, picking it as one of the hottest hair trends for 2022, something that’s certainly coming to fruition given the uptake on red carpets and social media alike.
“The shape of the fringe or the bangs is narrower at the top then gets wider, like the shoulders of a bottle, then curves around and gives you that detail under the cheekbone.”
In his initial clip Smith notes how Robbie’s hair colour perfectly accentuates this look.
“The main thing people are talking about is the frame around her face, with the long bangs and the curve under her cheekbones Smith explains. “It’s very 70s but also very now. From a colour point of view, you can see there’s no obvious colour coming from her roots, the highlights are really low contrast and the brightest parts are coming from those points around her hairline, those layers around her face to draw attention to the ‘frame.'”
View this post on Instagram
While Bottleneck bangs are likely to only work for certain hair types – it’s worth asking your hairdresser if it will suit and work for you – fringes in general remain very popular this season – check out these other fringe looks that are also trending.
Images (top): @PatiDubroff, @GregoryRussellhair
