The new haircut to get if you are sick of your bob

“It’s the most forgiving short haircut you can have,” insists celebrity hairdresser George Northwood, the stylist who created Alexa Chung’s exalted choppy lob. He’s referring to the haircut he’s just given his muse, Alexis Foreman, 45, a fashion influencer who speaks to the stylish midlife woman. Foreman has just had her bob chopped off into a shob.

Shob (excuse the acronym) is shorthand for short bob, but that would be doing it a disservice. It sits somewhere between the pixie and a classic bob and is considered a modern hybrid of the two styles. A choppier (possibly prettier) version of the pageboy, Foreman’s new hairstyle sits alongside an enviable list of leading ladies for which the foppish long-on-top short at the side shape has become synonymous, including Sharon Stone, House of Cards’ Robin Wright, and – back in the day – Princess Diana.

What makes Foreman’s cut new is the wispy tendrils that fall around the ears and at the nape of the neck. Visible from the front, these deliberately twisty pieces are incorporated into the haircut to lend softness – a crucial detail that gives the hairstyle the illusion that it’s longer than it actually is. Moreover a few wisps give the wearer something to twirl, adding to its allure.

For many women in midlife these seemingly insignificant nuances provide the requisite femininity (what puts many women off having a short haircut is the fear of looking masculine or boyish, says Northwood). A mannish flair is a fine attribute if one has sufficient confidence and the face shape to pull it off, but as Foreman tells me, lopping off one’s hair can elicit a minor identity crisis.

“Even though it wasn’t such a big jump from the short bob I had in the summer it feels like a huge difference – I felt really vulnerable at first,” admits Foreman, conceding that now that she’s gotten used to the styling protocol she feels empowered.

To lessen the shock of going from midlength to short, Northwood suggests easing into it by going shorter incrementally. He and Foreman began the process with a transitory haircut. “I chopped into the back to give it shape but left the fringe long enough to tuck behind the ears,” Northwood explains, adding that ultimately they mutually decided it wasn’t versatile enough. “You could only wear it one way. When it wasn’t tucked behind my ears, it didn’t work,” Foreman explains.

Research is key. Before the final haircut, Foreman found references that mimicked the type of hairstyle she wanted. At first she cast a wide net, citing Nineties haircuts as the starting point, ranging from Meg Ryan’s cute, flicky cut in Nora Ephron’s 1998 film, You’ve Got Mail, to models of the time (Kate Moss in her Jefferson Hack era through to Linda and Christy), ending with current day actresses Kasia Smutniak and Annabel Dexter Jones who played media heiress, Naomi Pierce, in Succession. A fellow blonde who went from bob to shob with aplomb, Dexter Jones’ hairstyle mimics Sharon Stone’s moddish crop, another source of inspiration for Foreman, who made sure she to find examples of women with the same hair texture as hers, a tip she says is a vital consideration before committing to a restyle.

As Foreman’s hair is dense, Northwood says he used a razor to create the shape. “If I’d used traditional cutting technique with scissors it would have looked too prim,” says Northwood who finds razoring the best way to create the jagged made-to-measure haircuts that are enviable these days.

However fine hair types benefit from this cut also, according to The Telegraph’s Head of Fashion, Lisa Armstong, who turned to hairdresser Joel Goncalves from John Frieda four years ago to cut her hair short after becoming exasperated by the condition of her hair.

“It’s truly short, graduated at the back, but the fringe is long and can be worn swept back or tucked behind my ears,” she said at the time, adding: “the upshot: my hair looks thicker and I have a cut that I can maintain at home.”

Testament to its flattering nature, Armstrong still has the cut to this day. “It looks so much fuller and healthier now it’s short and is far less maintenance than the bob I used to have,” she says.

Northwood adds that if you’ve got very fine hair then having some Balayage or highlights can help give it oomph as bleach, for better or worse, swells the hair cuticle giving it more body.

For Foreman whose hair texture is the opposite of Armstrong’s, styling has become paramount to it looking its best.

There’s a fine distinction between puffy 80s newsreader hair and the minimalist shape that’s right for this era. “When I wake up in the morning I have a bouffant. That’s when I think, what have I done?” Foreman jests.

All it requires is a styling rethink. “For women who’ve had a bob or long hair all of their life, the concept of being intentional with styling products can sometimes elude them,” explains Northwood. Thus, he says, it’s vital that your hairdresser talk you through the styling protocol before you decide to have it shorn off.

For this haircut specifically Foreman has two ways to style it: soft and worn forward or slicked back, which she does mainly for the evening.

“The first thing I do is spray my hair with a water mister. Next I apply some mousse throughout for a bit of bite, before rubbing a wad of texturising gum between my hands which I work it through the back bits to make sure they are defined. Whatever’s left I’ll use to flick out the sides and twist the fringe.”

“Sometimes I’ll also use a tiny amount of finishing cream depending on when I washed it last,” says Foreman who says the residue from yesterday’s styling products helps give it an air of cool. As for tools, Foreman doesn’t use any. “It looks best when it’s air dried,” she affirms – a bonus for keeping one’s hair in top condition (less heat damage).

Otherwise Foreman slicks her hair back, which requires yet more product – though less manpower. “After a shower, I’ll comb it all the way back or to the side, then use loads of gel followed by a mist of strong hairspray to hold it in place.”

Don’t be scared of using a hefty amount of product, says Foreman, with the caveat: “it feels very solid but it looks great,” she adds.

Often a new haircut needs a make-up rethink, but Foreman hasn’t felt the need to adapt the no-makeup makeup attire she’s known for. Instead, she focusses on jewellery. “I’m very aware of not looking like a teenage boy; I still want to look feminine,” she says. “So I’ll either wear big statement earrings or a stack of ear cuffs to redress the balance.” Another thing to consider is hair colour. “I’ve gone a bit blonder now it’s short,” Foreman discloses.

Fashion wise she’s turned things up a notch. “I used to run to the supermarket in comfy sweats. Now my hair is short, I find I’m more mindful of making an effort,” she says.

Ultimately the shob is a clever way to differentiate oneself from an army of midlife bobs. “I wanted a haircut that stood me apart from my peers,” she says.

“I’m 45. I’m at a point in my life where my colleagues are now younger than me. Pushing myself out of my comfort zone has forced me to find a new sense of confidence.”

Ultimately, adds Foreman, “when you cut your hair off, you either shrink away or you own it. It took a minute to adapt but it was absolutely the right move at exactly the right time”.