The nineties have been quietly running salon appointments for years, whether by way of a supermodel blow dry or another attempt at the Rachel. This season the reference has moved sideways, out of the decade's hair and into its clothes. The slip dress has arrived in the salon chair, and it is called the slip bob.
What it actually is
Dale Herne, a stylist at Hershesons, describes it as a bob that only just kisses the shoulders, cut with layers you are not supposed to be able to see. There is no heavy line anywhere in it, so it reads soft while still holding some precision, and the ends flick enough to stop the whole thing going flat. His word for the effect is understated, which he thinks is exactly why it feels current.
Why it suits people who are nervous about bobs
The length is the reason. It sits lower than a classic bob and it moves, so it commits you to nothing sharp or short. If you have been circling the idea of a bob without wanting the drama that usually comes with one, this is the version that lets you approach the subject slowly.
The wider shift
Herne reads it as part of a return to nineties minimalism. Hair is getting cleaner and simpler, with fewer layers and far less sculpting, and the aim now is hair that looks healthy with just enough movement to hold a shape. The soft bend through the mid lengths is the modern part, precisely because it looks like nobody worked on it.
What to take to the appointment
Pictures, videos, anything visual, and take them to the consultation rather than describing the idea out loud. Gwyneth Paltrow's 1998 cut is the cleanest single example of the shape, and there is no shortage of more recent versions to point at.
Herne's own steer is to think about the glossy, expensive looking hair of somebody like Christy Turlington and bring it up to date, and he offers the mid length cuts worn by Margot Robbie and Hailey Bieber as current reference points. The aim is not to copy one person's head. It is to show a stylist the finish and the movement you want.
Ask about styling before you leave
Get the instructions while you are still in the chair. Hair that falls naturally sleek will probably want to be worn straight, and anyone with curl or texture should have the cut adapted to it rather than spend every morning arguing with it.