Forget curtain bangs, there’s a fresh new cut in town, and it flatters every face shape and hair texture. The “broken” bangs style is ultra-choppy and short, defined by its lived-in finish and distinctive central peak. It’s longer and less intimidating than micro-bangs, yet edgier and cooler than its softly sweeping curtain counterpart.
Broken bangs feel right at a time when we’re shunning clean girl living and embracing a messier aesthetic. “It has its roots in the mid-’90s grunge era,” says hairstylist Luke Hersheson, who has noticed an uptick in requests for the look in salons. “Much more versatile and wearable than micro-bangs, which tend to freak people out—it’s slightly shorter in the middle and gets a little longer towards the sides.”
It’s this graduated detail (also a hallmark of curtain bangs) that makes it so universally flattering. “When fringes go too deep into your temples, they start to look severe and don’t suit everyone,” adds Hersheson. “These are chunky, choppy and short, but they’re still flattering on most face shapes.”
Celebrity adoptees of the look include Lily Allen, Mia Regan, Dakota Johnson and Joy Crookes, all of whom are proof that this is a style that can be worn in myriad different ways—a little dirty, grunge-style; sea-swept and choppy; or glossy and full. Closer to home, journalist Katherine Ormerod is also flying the flag for broken bangs, having tried everything from “full Berlin micro-fringe to ’70s Farrah Fawcett to bowl curved bangs” in her time.
Despite all her bangs know-how, broken bangs are her favourite. “It’s definitely the easiest fringe to wear because of its slight central peak and softly graduated shape,” she says. “Think Sienna Miller in Alfie, Abbey Lee Kershaw in the mid-Noughties, Daisy Edgar-Jones now… It’s such a specific cut, and you really have to communicate exactly what you mean—visually—to a stylist. Some people call it ‘French girl hair’, but to me that’s Jane Birkin’s bangs, which were straight and wispier.”
According to Hersheson, the piecey, choppy texture comes courtesy of the “point cutting” technique, which sees the stylist use the tips of their scissors to create angles at the ends of the hair, rather than moving straight across.
As for how to style it? If your bangs tend to spring upwards when you wake up, Hersheson recommends wetting them and then combing forward. “Comb them down the forehead – especially if you have cowlicks – to help flatten it out, then let the hair dry mostly on its own,” he recommends. “Try using the Hershesons Sock Diffuser, a fabric hair dryer attachment that blunts air flow but keeps the heat, which speeds up the drying process without running the risk of frizz or fluffiness.”
When the hair is nearly dry, take a medium round brush, place it underneath the bangs, and blow-dry the hair, taking care not to pull it straight. Instead, let the hair roll off the brush. “If you pull the hair, it will ping out straight and won’t hug your forehead,” he adds. “The key is to be really gentle.”
This article first appeared in British Vogue.
