Making The Cut

I'm a 3rd generation pixie wearer in my family. It started with my grandmother when she was a model in a hair competition in the 1960's. The stylist gave her a Vidal Sassoon inspired geometrical crop that ended up being the winning cut of the show. Fast forward to the late 80s when my mom decided to get a super short pixie that has remained her signature style today. I then followed in their footsteps my junior year of high school. So I guess you can say it's a tradition among the Voigt family women.

For most I suppose the style can be quite scary, but for me it was never a frowned upon cut or one that created question of femininity. As a child peeking through the doorway of our bathroom, I would watch my mother put her daily face on and think she was the most elegant, feminine person I know--and she truly was. She instilled in me a mentality that you should never be ruled by trends or social expectation. Fashion is fun, and it should be what YOU make of it. Because after all nothing is permanent and you are always welcome to evolve once you feel the need to. If you are worried about pulling off this look, I believe having this mindset is essential. Ever heard the saying that confidence is attractive?

So you want the cut, now how to go about it?! Should you just take the dive? Perhaps. If you are brave about it. I wasn't quite as brave as my mother & grandmother and instead turned it into a 4-step process.

Step 1? Start going shorter! My first plan of action was to go from my long, mid back gracing hair to a short bob ala Kiera Knightley a few years ago. If you liked this look you can move to step 2.
Step 2? Analyze your face shape and try to find a short style that will compliment your features. A quick Google will find tons of material on the subject. 
Step 3? For my first pixie I chose a slightly longer version. I think it's very important to choose a stylist you trust and to always provide a picture! I brought in this shot of Agyness Deyn when she had slightly longer bangs to frame the face, making it feel like more hair was there.
Step 4? Carpe diem! This time I brought in a shot of Mia Farrow from Rosemary's baby and received the hairstyle that I now keep today.  

Follow the cut to read about my top 5 pixie muses.

Top 5 pixie muses:

You might notice that all of my muses are from the past. This is not on accident. While there are many women who rock the cut today, I feel like the following list shows the women that gave the cut its infamy. They did it first, and I still believe they did it best. 

#1 Mia Farrow:

It is often Vidal Sassoon that is credited with giving Mia Farrow her iconic pixie, but this is a myth. Mia Farrow actually gave the hair cut to herself first while filming Peyton Place. She hacked off her long locks with a pair of fingernail scissors, shocking those around her. There are rumors of an emotional breakdown surrounding the incident, but I believe her character off Peyton Place's explanation as to why, is likely true to life:

"You know what it really means? It really means I got tired of my long hair. Simple."

As a publicity stunt, Vidal Sassoon was brought on the set of Rosemary's baby to trim Mia's pixie and the shots taken on this day catapulted both Mia & Vidal into the pixie hall of fame. 

#2 Edie Sedgwick:

Andy Warhol's superstar, Edie Sedgwick was the trail-blazer of being famous for simply being yourself. Shortly after arriving to the factory she made the famous cut, due to her hair being severely damaged from the teased beehive she sported before. Unable to get her hair to the white blonde shade she desired, she opted for a silver hair spray. Rumor is she did it to match Andy Warhol's hairstyle, although conflicting versions of this story exists. 

#3 Audrey Hepburn:

The most famous gamine of all, Audrey was one of the first champions of this look. Most of the time she was seen with a slightly longer pixie in which she clipped back the sides using bobby pins. For a short period of time in the 50's however, she sported a shorter pixie that will forever be my favorite look of hers. 

#4 Jean Seberg:

Jean Seberg's pixie adventures began when Otto Preminger plucked her from a small farm in Iowa and cast her in his Joan of Arc film. For the role young Jean had to shave her head. She would go on to become French New Wave's sweetheart in roles such as À bout de souffle.

#5 Leslie Caron:

Another actress that took matters into her own hands, Leslie Caron asked a Hollywood stylist to give her the same boyish haircut she saw a French model sporting on the cover of a magazine. The stylist disapproved of the style and refused, which left Leslie to go home that night and take her own scissor's to her hair. Studio execs were furious and actually delayed filming for a few weeks for her hair to grow out a bit. For the film they fashioned Leslie's short hair into tight curls that she hated. After filming was completed Leslie returned to a short, straight pixie that complemented her petite features perfectly.