- Birkin bangs, made famous by Jane Birkin, are defined as shorter in the middle and longer at the edges, creating a soft, voluminous, and versatile fringe that adds shape and thickness to hair.
- They complement most hair types (straight, wavy, curly) and face shapes (oval, square, heart, round).
- The choppy, piecey cut is easy to wear, but can be styled with hot tools for extra polish.
Many may know Jane Birkin as a style icon (uh hello, the namesake Hermès Birkin bag!). Still, I, a beauty enthusiast, know Jane as the icon behind Birkin bangs, a hairstyle she wore and popularized for over six decades. Impressive, much?
The iconic fringe cut is still very much on trend today—if not, even more popular than when Jane wore it. So, to understand a bit more about Birkin bangs—including who they're best suited to and how to style them, we spoke to hairstylist Chlöe Swift to explain it all. Not to mention the nine inspiration pics that demonstrate Birkin bangs can work for any face shape and hair type! Get you a girl hairstyle who can do it all...
What are Birkin bangs?
As we now know, Birkin bangs originate from the iconic Jane Birkin, but what actually defines them? Well, Swift describes the cut as "shorter in the middle, and longer and sweeping on the edges."
"This style gives the top of your hair a fuller, more voluminous look and actually makes the hair overall appear thicker," Swift adds. Sounds pretty appealing to me, wouldn't you agree?
And not only that, but because Birkin bangs are a fringe style, rather than an all-over cut, they add shape, style, and fun back to any look. So, if you're in the market for a new 'do but aren't ready to commit to an all-over chop, Birkin bangs could be for you.
Who are Birkin bangs best suited for?
When it comes to hair type, Birkin bangs are versatile. "They suit a variety of different hair types from naturally straight to wavy, as well as naturally curly," Swift says. Though if you have curly or coily hair, be mindful that bangs in general take more styling time, especially if you're smoothing them down.
And the good news doesn't stop there, folks, because most face shapes work well with Birkin bangs, too: "Oval, square, heart, and round faces all work with Birkin bangs, particularly those with more forehead space. They are very flattering as they soften this room at the top of the head," Swift explains.
If you have a very small forehead, however, you may want to steer clear of this style. "You don't want these heavier style bangs to overwhelm the face," Swift says.
Your overall haircut and length are also something to consider when getting Birkin bangs. "Birkin bangs work with so many haircuts, including long tresses, midi cuts, and boyfriend bobs," Swift says, before adding, "so long as the rest of the haircut sits longer underneath the bangs."
But the options are pretty much endless, seeing as the bangs are disconnected. "They sit separately from the rest of the cut," says Chlöe.
How to style Birkin bangs:
Because of their choppy, piecey style and graduated length, Birkin bangs are pretty self-styling. However, if you want to polish them up after a day or two, both Swift and I love to style bangs with a hot brush. My favorite is the Wavytalk Thermal Brush, which can only be used on dry hair. If you're looking for a heated brush that can be used on wet and dry hair, Swift recommends the Dyson Airwrap.
"I love to dry my bangs using a hot brush like the Dyson Airwrap with the smoothing attachment, lifting for some volume and tucking and rounding underneath," Swift says. "And then I like the flick out the edges of the bangs using a curling tong or a straightener, just to bevel the edges backwards so the hair kicks and flicks out."
Secure with some hairspray (there's nothing worse than a rogue fringe in the wind) et voilà!
Your new-old haircut awaits...
Birkin bangs inspo:
Lia Mappoura (she/her) is the Beauty Writer at Cosmopolitan UK. Covering everything from viral celebrity hair and makeup news to the latest trend predictions, she’s an expert in recognising the season’s next big beauty look (before it ends up all over your social media feeds). You’ll usually find her putting TikTok’s recent beauty hacks to the Hype Test, challenging the gender-makeup binary and social stereotypes, or fangirling over the time Kourtney Kardashian viewed her Instagram Story (yes, it’s true). Find her also on LinkedIn.
