The 90's 'Bixie' cut is making a major comeback

Three iterations of the Bixie cut
Three iterations of the Bixie cut

From the Balenciaga to the Baroque there's no denying that shorter hairstyles have 2024 in a chokehold, and now Bixie's (aka Bob Pixies) are taking centre stage.

When it comes to summer hairstyles we want minimal effort but maximum impact and we think this face-framing look is going to be our go to...

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What is a 'Bixie' cut?

As the name suggests, it's all about taking the best elements of a bob and a pixie cut, and combining them. If you're after the ultimate reference, look no further than Princess Diana who embraced various iterations of the trending style back in the 90's, thanks to her hairstylist Sam McKnight. And, as with other 90's trends like claw clips and cycling shorts, Gen Z can't get enough.

The Princess of Wales was known for her Bixie cut
The Princess of Wales was known for her Bixie cut (Anwar Hussein)

The style has the length of a micro bob but with the choppy layers of a pixie which creates a really flattering, textured, cool girl finish. It's also a great way of easing yourself into a super short pixie cut look, without having to go through the lengthy process of growing it back out.

"A typical Bixie haircut is cut into the nape of the neck, with graduation at the back to give it that shortness," explains Paul Percival, stylist and founder of Percy & Reed. "In terms of length, you could expect it to be anywhere between your chin and jaw. The ideal length would be slightly shorter than your jaw, to give it that grown-out pixie look. For most people it actually works better if the haircut is quite ‘broken up’, and by that I mean either raise it at the ends or cut into at the ends, so there's no real hard line."

READ: The best bob haircut to suit your face shape

MORE: How to nail the messy hair trend

How to style the 'Bixie'...

Modern day muses who have recently turned to the 90's look for the warmer months include Florence Pugh, Taylor Hill, and Sabrina Elba. And if there's one thing we've learnt from digging through all the inspiration, it's that you can really make the look your own.

Sabrina Elba wears a wet look Bixie to the NAACP awards with a brown cowl neck dress
(Unique Nicole)
Florence Pugh with a bleach blonde textured Bixie at the photocall for Dune: Part Two
(Mike Marsland)
Taylor Hill embraces her natural curls to add texture to her Bixie cut
(Stephane Cardinale - Corbis)

The best part about the style is that because you still retain more length than with a traditional pixie cut, there's more hair to play around with.

"The Bixie is a great style for Summer, because it's super versatile," Paul explains. "You’ve can feel like you've got short hair, but there is still incredible flexibility to do more than one look. Whether you like to wear it straight or have a wave, push it back, throw it over to one side, or even change your parting, there are so many styling options with this cut which I love."