The Isadora: Vidal Sassoon's famous rounded bob gets a modern update

Katie Service on the return of a classic cut
Katie Service7 July 2016

Big things happened in the summer of ’69: Woodstock, the first steps on the moon and the Beatles’ final public performance, to name a few.

It was also the year that Vidal Sassoon took a pair of scissors to a model’s bob and drastically chopped away to create one of the most iconic cuts in hairdressing: the Isadora.

Similar to the bowl cut but chicer and with more length at the back, the style was named after the American dancer Isadora Duncan since, claimed Sassoon, it was inspired by her elegance and grace of movement.

Now the cut is back. Gucci sent model Peyton Knight down the SS16 runway sporting one; It girl Alexa Chung has been given an Isadora-style lob by hairdresser George Northwood, and last month Erin O’Connor showed off hers, perfectly sloped at the nape, at the V&A Summer Party.

This time round, the Isadora has subtle differences. To make it modern, lose the heaviness and structural weight of the original cut. ‘If you’re going to pull it off you need an element of movement,’ explains Neil Moodie, the stylist behind the modern Isadora you see pictured here.

‘It’s a long bob with the corners cut off into a rounded shape and although it’s a strong cut, it shouldn’t look like a helmet. It should look like you can run your fingers through it.’

The original cut in 1969 

To this end, he misted Windle & Moodie Light Shine Spray over the cut, a new weightless product that reflects light and provides a dose of gloss without making hair look old-fashioned (or even worse, greasy).

Model Peyton Manning sports the new Isadora 

Although the Isadora may look like a one-trick pony, it’s surprisingly versatile. Blow-dry it straighter for an Edie Campbell-style shag or take tongs to it to replicate this season’s mop of bubble curls.

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