Twiggy was onto something when she went from long, brown locks to a short pixie cut, parted to the side. Her famous cut in the 60s would even help launch her modeling career and take on a life of its own, propelling Twiggy as the ultimate cool girl of the era. As Arizona-based hairstylist Erin Powers notes, “ The pixie has evolved over the last few years," but the style is still a signifier of effortless cool—just look at Halle Berry and Charlize Theron.
A "pixie" cut refers to a style that is short on the sides and back and slightly longer on top. It's usually styled with short, wispy bangs on the side. Not only are Pixie cuts surprisingly versatile, but they’re also (unsurprisingly) fairly low maintenance. They also encompass several variations, so a pixie cut can work on anyone, it’s just about choosing the right lengths and proportions. “A great pixie haircut is based on not just face shape but also the shape of the client's head," says Karie Bennett, founder and master artist at Atelier Salon and Studio in California. "Since a short haircut is basically influenced by bone structure, it’s important to consider that before you decide on length and shape."
Ahead, we share 40 celebrity pixie cuts to inspire your next haircut along with styling tips from Powers and Bennett.
Meet the Expert
• Erin Powers is a hairdresser with more than 16 years of experience. She is based in Tucson, Arizona.
• Karie Bennett is the founder of Atelier Salon and Studio in San Jose, California. She has more than 30 years of experience in the hair and salon industry.
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Curly
If you have naturally curly hair, a pixie cut à la Ruth Negga will be perfect for you. Just make sure you're equipped with a good curl cream to keep those ringlets on lock.
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Micro-Bangs
A piece-y pixie with micro-bangs isn't for the faint of heart, but the results are major. "I think the key point to identifying a pixie is that it should open the person up," says Powers. Take a note from Rihanna and add face-framing micro-bangs for extra impact. A good molding gel and hair straightener will become your BFFs.
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Close Crop
If you prefer relatively low-maintenance hairstyles, a close crop like Cynthia Erivo's is probably your best bet, especially if you have a thick, natural texture. (Bonus points if you go white-blonde, too).
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Slicked-Back
Remember Shailene Woodley’s pixie cut phase? (Same, we miss it). She’s back to sporting a longer style, but back in the day, she was the queen of sleek and slicked back. Take a page from her book and style it with ease with an epic styling gel and your favorite hair straightener.
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Platinum
Is it just us, or is Anne Hathaway's platinum-pixie moment highly underrated? Anne's 'do proves that even if you're a natural brunette, you can get your dream look with the right tips, products, and colorist.
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Retro
Try something relaxed and retro-feeling if your hair texture allows it. A cut that’s cropped on the sides and longer on the top creates plenty of opportunities for style experimenting—and wispy bangs in front will give people all the cool greaser vibes (in a good way). Leather jacket sold separately.
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Accessorized
Cara Delevingne has always had an affinity for pixie cuts, but her white-blonde variation has to be one of our favorites. With a contrasting black ribbon and spiked pieces on the top, this look makes a major statement (both on and off the red carpet—we'd wear this style to the office).
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Pastel
A pixie cut could be the perfect opportunity for you to experiment with a new, bold hair color like singer-songwriter Halsey's pastel-hued 'do.
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Side Bangs
With face-framing pieces and wispy side bangs, we vote for Kat Graham to sport this style permanently.
Byrdie Tip
To get Graham's voluminous pixie, work in a dollop of thickening mousse into your roots. Use a hairdryer and a flat brush to style your hair up over to one side.
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Fringed Bangs
A closely cropped cut like this pairs perfectly with micro-fringe bangs, an equally bold trend worth experimenting with. Pair it with a deep side part and extra-short, trimmed sides, like Andy Allo.
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Buzzed
This might not be a technical “pixie cut," but we love the idea of buzzcuts catching on in the beauty world. Think of the cut as just a bold, riskier step up from a pixie.
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Long Bangs and Volume
Viola Davis proves how glam a pixie haircut can really be. The key is to get long, wispy side bangs and longer pieces on top that you can style and tease to give the illusion of volume (all while keeping it closely cropped in the back).
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Side Part
We love the subtle side-part in Maria Borges's closely cropped 'do. See shorter hair as an opportunity to up your makeup game too: This pink-lip and cat-eye combination is killer.
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Volume Up Top
Kerry Washington has kept enough length at the top of her pixie to successfully style it with wispy bangs for a red carpet-worthy look.
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Classic
"A classic pixie is very short and cropped," notes Powers.A closely cropped pixie cut like this requires relatively frequent trims, but when the end result is as sleek, chic, and face-framing as Zoë Kravitz’s ‘do, it’s definitely worth it.
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Long in Front
Take notes from Rinko Kikuchi: You can easily add next-level volume to your pixie cut with long pieces in the front. All you need is a good teasing regimen—our favorite tips, right this way.
Byrdie Tip
Teasing your hair all the way from the tip to the root could cause damage. Take the section you are teasing and place your comb in the middle of the hair (not the very end) and run it down towards the roots. Then, take a brush and smooth out the top layer.
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Slicked and Parted
Jennifer Hudson gave us major Mia Farrow vibes back when she sported this pixie cut. We love the way you can easily style a pixie by simply parting it on the side and slicking it back—you'll look like a movie star, and it'll only take you a few minutes to pull off.
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Length and Layers
Hikari Mori demonstrates that you can have plenty of length and layers to work with, even if you make the chop—her low-maintenance style is perfect for people who just want to straighten out some kinks and run out the door.
"Pixie cut" isn't synonymous with "nearly bald." In fact, "as all styles do, the pixie has a lot of personalities now. It can be a little longer, grown-out looking, have a longer fringe, be a little shaggy," says Powers.
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Grayish-Purple
Like we said, getting a pixie cut is the perfect opportunity to experiment with a hair color you've been too previously nervous to pull the trigger on. Take a page from Ginnifer Goodwin's book and go for a pretty pastel that skews almost gray (the perfect complement to your favorite colorful eyeliner).
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Face-Framing Bangs
Kate Hudson's pixie cut is pretty much perfect. The bangs frame and flatter her facial features to a tee—and with a piecey cut like this, you can keep it relatively low-maintenance (except for the occasional trim) depending on your hair texture.
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Sideburn Strands
For the ultimate girl-next-door haircut, look no further than Zendaya. To get the look, ask for short side bangs and long sideburn strands you can style however you want.
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Modern Bowl-Cut
The pixie inspiration remains in Meagan Good's cut. We love the way her bangs veer into "bowl-cut" territory while still remaining as chic and sleek as ever.
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Chestnut Tones With Matching Brows
Michelle Williams has sported a pixie cut in nearly every hair color imaginable, but this warm chestnut hue is one of our favorites. Remember that your eyebrows may become more of a focus if you chop your hair off—and if you're dyeing your pixie, it's a good idea to match your brows within a shade range or two to your new hair.
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Waved
Getting a pixie cut with bangs of varying lengths is the perfect way to leave room for experimenting. Take Janelle Monáe's pixie cut: it's made instantly more red carpet-appropriate with the simple addition of a styled curl in the front.
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Razored Bangs
You might already know this, but here's another public service announcement: Spiked hair isn't just for boy banders. Get Angela Bassett's look with some good styling mousse—and keep the length long and razored for more texture, so you can switch it up by day (or whenever you're not in a spiky mood).
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Glam
"One thing about a pixie is it transcends age groups," says Bennett. While many young celebrities are wearing the look, it looks just as chic on the older set. Here, Jada Pinkett Smith proves how a pixie cut is really done. She's been rocking hers for years—use her look as inspo and style your pixie cut slicked back with a deep side part.
Byrdie Tip
Take a tip from Smith and give your pixie a little extra flair with her cool, twisted sideburns. Simply use a little styling gel to help your sideburns stand out.
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Bobbed Pixie
If there was a happy medium between a "bob" and a "pixie," this would be it. (But for this article, we'll let it fall under the latter). To get the look, ask your stylist to keep some longer pieces in front so you can style them and wear them behind your ears as you please. A Katie Holmes-approved side part is the perfect finishing touch to this sleek 'do.
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Blonde With Roots
If you already have blonde highlights and natural roots or undertones, a side-swept pixie cut could be the perfect way to show off some dimension. Or, if you'd like to dip into both new blonde highlights and a pixie haircut at the same time, Elsa Pataky's iconic, dirty-blonde 'do might be the perfect place to start.
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Two-Tone
Looking for an edge? Keep your sides short with your natural (or, in Katy Perry's case, darker) hair color—and go full-on with bleach-blonde highlights on the top for a cool, unexpected (and Katy Perry-approved) contrast.
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Short and Layered
No pixie haircut roundup would be complete without the look that launched dozens of box-office blockbusters. A good styling pomade for your layered pieces will have you feeling likeCatwomanyourself.
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Long on Top, Cropped on the Sides
"Long on the top and short on the sides" is a good rule of thumb. Charlize Theron's blonde chop leaves enough long pieces on the top to style for events while keeping it closely cropped and low-maintenance on the sides. It's the best of both worlds.
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Piecey Texture
French actress Audrey Tatou has been known for her iconic cropped cut for most of her career—and we can see why she's stuck with it for so long. If you have thick, coarse hair, a piece-y pixie could work perfectly for your texture and face shape. For this look, "you’ll need a good texturizer with medium hold," says Powers,
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Shaggy
If you have a naturally wavy hair texture, Gladys Knight's 'do is the perfect, low-maintenance style (especially for those who love hopping out of the shower and running out the door). Just make sure you have a good texturizing spray in your back pocket.
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Modern Mullett
No, you don't have to be a supermodel to pull this off. Coco Rocha's cut is something we'll call "mullet-chic"—business in the front but a (refined, grown-up) party in the back.
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Wispy Bangs
As far as we're concerned, no one does model-off-duty beauty better than Micah Gianneli. Wispy bangs create an instantly chic, effortless (in appearances, anyway) style.
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Sleek and Styled
If you have naturally fine, easy-to-style hair, Robin Wright's effortless pixie is perfect for you. With the right layers and face-framing bangs, ladies with thin hair will have something to celebrate: a low-maintenance style you can simply shake and walk out the door with.
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Straight Across Fringe
Face-framing, straight-across fringe will make a statement—and give you ample extra hair to work with to change up your style. And when you have a short cut, you won’t stress about the commitment of “straight-across bangs” as much (since they’ll even out faster than if you had longer tresses).
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Messy Texture
Maybe it's bedhead, maybe it's movie-star magic. In any case, Natalie Portman's messy-yet-styled pixie cut is like if no-makeup makeup was a hairstyle. Two words: effortlessly chic. To style the look, Bennett advises "rough-drying the hair completely and then using either a light pomade or a styling cream. Something that picks up the texture but rides on the outside of the haircut, so you maintain the volume at the root."
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Dramatic Side Bangs
For extra-dramatic side bangs, ask for extra-long pieces in the front of your pixie cut and a deep side part. You can experiment and style it a million different ways, like this retro wave à la Mary J Blige.
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Wispy
If you have naturally thick hair that’s relatively easy to work with, you’ll love something low maintenance, like Ciara's shaggy 'do. You can roll out of bed and achieve a wispy, piece-y pixie with a simple texturizing spray.