Top Hair 2008

The January magazines have arrived in the salon, and I hate to admit it, but they make me a bit emotional. The September issues get me all giddy with excitement - thick as a dictionary, a good ten pounds worth of fall and winter fashion, usually chock full of luxurious, beautiful things I have to have. But in the midst of the holiday mayhem come the January issues - skinny, limp, almost always full of simple, muted looks. It's as if they're saying "sorry, reader, but face it, you're broke after the holidays, you're exhausted, the only glimmer of excitement I can offer you are the resort wear collections, which you know you're never going to need because you ain't going anywhere." As I flipped through the latest arrival this afternoon, I had stop and remind myself that we are still in the midst of the holiday and year-end festivities, and that some acknowledgement must be made of the top hairstyles we've seen this year.


The trend this year was that there was no trend - anything goes - but in looking back over the year in hair, my choices for the top styles follow three clear patterns. First, the major trendsetters of last year - Rihanna and Victoria Beckham, both of whom led the chin-length bob revolution of 2007 - continued to go shorter this year. Victoria is now sporting a pixie, gamine cut, and Rihanna, well, her style looks different at every red-carpet event. But she rocks the short, punk look with a versatile short on the bottom, long on the top cut. Bravo to the risk-takers of 2008.

Second, I must commend two long-haired celebs who took the plunge by going shorter - not as dramatically as Victoria and Rihanna but with equally stunning results. Both Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Walsh revitalized their look with longer bobs, ending just above the shoulder, a great style for someone who wants a change but isn't ready to go chin-length short. A major thank you to Gwyneth, whose long overdue haircut reminded us that she is a movie star and not a hippie.

The third and final top style acknowledges those who resisted the big chop-off of 2007 and kept it long. Blake Lively, aka Serena on Gossip Girl, whose long, wavy blond locks are, quite honestly, to dye for. And Beyonce, who just recently debuted her new album and new look - still long hair, but straight and sleek. Her hairstyle was all over those January magazines, so way to be a trendsetter, B. I can't wait to see what looks 2009 brings us. My fingers are crossed that the February issues offer me something exciting.