Last summer, I reached out to professional hairstylists about how Birkin bangs were trending. By the time I received answers, the eternally cool Parisian icon, Jane Birkin, had passed at age 76. She inspired many things in popular culture we still adore today, from the Hermès Birkin Bag to the effortless French style she brought to life. The Birkin bangs were already trending with stars like Taylor Swift, Lilly Collins, Anne Hathaway and Jenna Ortega sporting them, and over the past year, we’ve seen even more of this hairstyle as people pay tribute to the singer and younger generations see stunning photos of Birkin’s bangs across social media.
What are Birkin bangs?
“Named after French icon Jane Birkin in the ’60s, these bangs are short and slightly feathered,” says celebrity hairstylist Ted Gibson. “What’s great about these bangs is that they are universally sexy, meaning that they fit any face shape and jawline.” Celebrity hairstylist Tommy Buckett says the whispy style is perfect for a more tousled look. These bangs sit just at or a little below the eyebrow and they have some separation, notes celebrity hairstylist Johnny Lavoy. “Birkin Bangs have a soft edge, and they frame the face more then a typical straight across bang would and can be styled many different ways,” adds celebrity hairstylist Kennedy Trisler.
When it comes down to it “Birkin bangs are a soft version of the full bang,” says hairstylist Jennifer Korab. “The Birkin bang doesn’t require much hair, as they should be thinner at the ends maintaining a soft scruffy look with texture and dimension around the face.” Although they appear effortless celebrity hairstylist Giannandrea Marongiu notes that these bangs are technically complex and challenging to cut, so he suggests having an experienced stylist at the helm.
Why are they called Birkin bangs?
Birkin bangs were dubbed such because they are reminiscent of the star’s signature look of a full-fringed bang, explains creative director, master stylist and colorist Paul Labrecque. They are reminiscent of her signature look of a full-fringed bang. While the Birkin bang look was popularized by Birkin herself, but their story extends a bit beyond that. “These bangs are an evolution of the Brigitte Bardot bangs transitioning from more teased-up hair to the simplistic natural hair of the French Cinema Verite movement of the late ’60s and ‘70s. A new direction was born,” says Marongiu. He notes that this style was also popular in the hippie movement in America, namely San Francisco.
What should one ask their stylist for if they want Birkin bangs?
Trisler and Lavoy definitely recommends going to a professional to get the curtain bang look. “I have seen many hack jobs from people attempting to do them on themselves,” notes Lavoy. At the salon, ask the stylist “to cut a shorter version of a curtain bang on you, with a small amount of shorter pieces in the middle, and feathered out with longer pieces towards the sides. Ask them to texturize the ends (if needed) after they’re styled, and always ask them to cut your bangs clean and dry!” Birkin bangs should not be too thick and should have a little texture to them. “Chip cutting into ends will soften the bluntness,” he notes. “The length is important to the look, so the brow is your guide.”
If you do go rogue and attempt to do them yourself, again ill-advises, Lavoy suggests “avoiding tension when pulling them down. Too much tension will cause them to pop up when released.”
How to style Birkin bangs
As a warning Labrecque notes that “If you have a strong cowlick or if you don’t like to use a hairdryer when styling, this type of bang” might not be for you. If you’re styling Birkin bangs with heat, grab a blow dryer with a concentrator or nozzle and a small round brush—Trisler loves using the Ergo ER 33 or ER 25 Ionic Thermal Round Brush ($50) for this. “Take all your bangs and start by blowdrying them downward. After about two or three passes, blow the right side angled away from your face, and then do the same to the left side,” instructs Trisler.
Lavoy offers a slightly different technique, so we suggest you try a couple and see which works best for you. With Birkin bangs “you want to have a slight bend in the hair, so I suggest using a larger round brush and blowing them under” rather than to the side. “For separation, use a texture spray or a little spray wax.”
If you’d rather skip the heat, Trisler recommends using no creasing clips, which is what she uses to set her clients’ bangs in place. When wet, “Take two or three no crease clips and clip your bangs into the shape you desire. Let them fully dry with the clips in, and once they’re dry, remove the clips,” she says. “After that, spray them in place with a dry texture spray (Bumble and Bumble Thickening Dry Spun Texture Spray ($36) is my favorite), and you’re all set!”
Are bangs in for 2024?
“Bangs will always be in,” says Lavoy. “People use them to frame the face shape or hide a line or two. With the all the different styles of bangs they will never be out of style.” As for 2024, Labrecque says bangs are in “big time,” which is evidenced by how many stars we see sporting them at the moment.
“We’re currently in a big change in beauty just like the late ’90s and 2000s, the hair is far cooler, and it’s all about that state of looseness,” says Marongiu. Furthermore, Birkin bangs “bring out the features of the face, so cheeks and lips appear rounder,” adds Marongiu. In addition to the effortlessly cool look they give, Korab says these bangs are also trending since they look good on most people even as they grow out.
The Birkin bang never fully disappeared—it continued to be popular among a certain group and loved by celebrities like Dakota Johnson, who seems to always be wearing some version of Birkin bangs. However, as curtain bangs and other fringe hairstyles came into the spotlight recently people recalled the beauty of Birkin bangs.
Social media has given people unprecedented access to past hair looks they want to replicate, says Marongiu, and “these bangs are exceptionally cool. Buckett notes that bangs tend to be popular in the summer because “it gives a cool French girl look that gives you instant style without over-styling your hair with heat too much.”
Which celebrities have Birkin bangs?
Labrecque points to how amazing Anne Hathaway, a previous client of his, looks with Birkin bangs. She “wears them throughout the movie The Idea of You and looks sensational.” Taylor Swift has also been rocking a version of Birkin bangs on her epic world tour. Lily Collins and Jenna Ortega, Rosie Perez, Julia Roberts as well as the reigning bang queen, Dakota Johnson, are also sporting Birkin bangs.
