Hairstyle Classics: How to Keep That Do From Looking Dated

If you’ve rocked a classic style for a while, beware that even the simplest cuts need to evolve. The dawn of a new decade is a good time to update that hairdo. Take a tip (or two) from stylists and stars who know how to keep a good thing going.

The Pixie
This ultra-short cut not only accents great cheekbones and jawlines, but it also portrays gamine youthfulness and chic sophistication for any age.

Vintage Liza Minnelli has made the pixie her signature cut, which she keeps fresh by adding layers and fullness through waves and curls. In her days as Mrs. Frank Sinatra, Mia Farrow made the pixie so enduring that, years later, the boyishly attractive cut helped define the waif movement of the ’90s.

Modern Today’s pixie vixens, such as Michelle Williams (who looks a lot like Mia Farrow) and Halle Berry, wear their short cuts with a mix of fragility and seduction.

Keep it fresh Hairstylist Kristen Ess, who counts Rachel McAdams and Amanda Bynes as clients, likes to add a few accessories, such as a pair of narrow headbands, to make the pixie more playful. “You think when you cut your hair off that you are limited to that specific look, but the pixie is very versatile,” says Ess. “You can also use products to give a different look or shape. Pomade can make a matte texture, sort of like a shag carpet. A light-hold gel can make it go elegant and sleek, like Sharon Stone, with a lot of control.”

Long and Sleek
Nothing says “sexy” better than a long, flowing mane of luscious, shiny and thick hair.

Vintage For Cher, long, shimmering hair has been as much her signature as have her wild Bob Mackie bugle beaded costumes.

Modern Demi Moore not only has the body of a teenager, but also the flowing, shiny hair to match. The ageless beauty often lets her hair down for big red-carpet events.

Keep it fresh Great hair requires dedicated upkeep, says Ess, who recommends applying a temporary gloss to hair every six weeks. “It seals down the cuticle and acts like a topcoat for your nails,” she says. Carla Gentile, owner of Steam, a hip salon near Beverly Hills, Calif., says the fast way to update long hair is to add bangs. “You can also get away with a really low side part, like Gisele,” she says.

The Shag
This layered hairstyle has become the chic rebel’s favorite look, if only because a bit of tousled imperfection makes it all the more appealing.

Vintage Jane Fonda’s shag in Klute made her character tough, scruffy and sexy, and it launched a look that defined the 1970s and beyond.

Modern Kristen Stewart and Ashlee Simpson have made a long, loose shag a sought-after look, with hair that is black, red or blond.

Keep it fresh
Gentile says modern shags don’t hug the head and neck as closely as Fonda’s cut. Longer, looser layers are today’s look. Gentile also suggests experimenting with products that thicken or add texture to make the layers more distinct and chunky.

The Bob
The classic bob endures because it is an easy-care style that radiates sophistication -- or in extreme colors, delivers an ironic, punk twist.

Vintage The angular bob that silent-film star Louise Brooks wore in the 1920s and ’30s matched the elegant lines of art deco.

Modern Katie Holmes has worn a variation of the classic bob for the last two years, first with razor-sharp bangs and now with longer, sideswept ones, while Keira Knightley wears her straight and wavy.

Keep it fresh Wear it a bit longer to look modern, says Ess, adding, “The long bob is called the ‘lob,’ which is an awful word but a gorgeous hairstyle.” Ess also suggests giving the hair a few spiral twists around a 1-inch curling iron to add some wave. “And don’t be too uniform with how you’re curling it,” she says. “You want to break up the curl.”