You don’t need to have a block fringe

For years, the only fringes you’d ever see would be the heavy blocks of hair that immediately defined a style. But what I would find with many of my clients is that they’d ask me to cut a heavy fringe – and then spend the next three years trying to grow it out. It would be such a painful process. 

When Reese Witherspoon was last growing out her fringe, she called me and said, “Adir, you need to create a kit to help people through the awkward stage!” My low-maintenance alternative is a longer fringe that connects to the rest of your style, because a fringe is a really great way to accentuate and highlight certain parts of your face. 

As you get older, having hair all one length can drag you down, so there is something special about opening up your face and highlighting certain parts of the face with shorter pieces. There is something of a resurgence around the fringe, and it doesn’t have to be a severe style, it can easily camouflage with your overall look.

The triangle-parting trick

To find the most flattering width of fringe for you, use the triangle-parting method. Draw an invisible line with your index fingers from the top arch of your eyebrows up to your hairline, and then move the fingers together to meet in your parting at a triangle point. Take this triangular section of hair as your fringe. 

Whether you’re doing a short fringe or a long fringe, in following the arch of your eyebrows, you will create your most flattering width. If you are opting for a short fringe, the shortest part of the fringe should be at the arch, and then you can graduate it in with the rest of your hair. Otherwise, for longer fringes, start it around the cheekbones and gradually go longer. I use the same arch trick when I’m creating a deep side parting – draw an invisible line from your arch to your hairline, and that’s where your deep parting should be.

Curtain bangs suit everyone

Rather than cutting a fringe in a straight line, which results in a heavy line, “curtain bangs” are cut by holding the scissors vertically and cutting into the hair at an angle. This will give you that late-1990s/early-Noughties fringe that falls into place easily, and even if you put your hair up, it will give you those Brigitte Bardot-style strands of hair that fall down on either side.

This is the modern way to wear a fringe, and it’s how I styled Anne Hathaway’s hair for the Cannes Film Festival in May. Annie is looking better than ever. This slightly grown-out, longer fringe suits any face shape and anyone’s proportions. It’s more about framing the face rather than creating a severe look. And it goes without saying that the right products to prep the hair make all the difference.

My favourite haircare range of all time is Virtue, which is so brilliant for repairing the hair, as well as being the best styling products that I use on all of my clients.

Best products to buy