By Jennifer Adkins, Staff Writer

Recording artists Victoria Beckham and Rihanna are leading women in the latest inverted bob hairstyle trend.

The inverted bob is the most recent update to a nearly century-old hair design which peaked in the 1920s.

“It’s trendy and almost anyone can wear it,” said Kristin Robbs, a hairstylist at Hair A Go Go on Cherokee Boulevard.

For an inverted bob, hair is trimmed into a curve which hugs the neck and then is tapered and stacked to give the back of the head more height and fullness, experts say.

The back is gathered into heavy and soft layers, the shortest being where the bone bulges out to form the shape of the head. The longer layers in front are texturized to fall forward in pieces. Sometimes they are kept long enough to be tucked behind the ears or pulled into a short ponytail.

“People just need to personalize it and do it for their own personal style,” said Ms. Robbs.

The inverted bob cut can be tailored for individual style. It can be curved in or out, scrunched in layers of curls or cut with asymmetrical layers. There are bobs with bangs, side and center parts, crimped, angled, straight and curly.

“It’s also a haircut that never goes out of style,” Ms. Robbs said. “It came back in the ’60s with Vidal Sassoon.”

Vidal Sassoon was a hairstylist in London who introduced a geometric, asymmetric, 5-point hairstyle during the 1960s as a variation on the classic bob. Modern bobs are now based on the Vidal model.

The original bob was created in 1909 by Paris hairdresser Antoine Cierplikowski, inspired by Joan of Arc. It then gained the attention of the flappers when American silent-film star Louise Brooks sported the look as a blunt, black and precise cut known as the “black helmet” in Germany. The style was seen as a revolution of attitude for women and became the sign of a liberated woman.

Now stars such as Charlize Theron, Elisha Cuthbert, Katie Holmes, Sienna Miller and Keira Knightley are wearing the hairstyle. The inverted bob is suited for the “on the go” woman, since styling is so easy. And it is pretty easy to maintain, according to Ms. Robbs.

Courtney Cunningham, a hairstylist with an inverted bob, said, “Pretty much if I want to wear it wavy I just wash it and sleep on it. It’s very easy to style that way because I have very curly hair.”

For the curly inverted bob hairstyle, Ms. Robbs said to use a 1.25-inch curling iron and comb through with your fingers. And if you are looking for a sleeker look, she said to use a thickening spray and styling cream for volume, and then smooth with a round brush.

If you want a scrunched style, use a blow dryer on the roots of your hair, but leave the rest damp, the experts said. Add a little styling foam or curling spray and gently scrunch the rest of your hair under a diffuser for a stylishly messy hairdo. For the straight look, you can use an extra large curling iron or straightening iron. An extra large curling iron would add more shape and curl the ends.

The inverted bob style is suitable for most ages, hair types and face shapes. When you get tired of your hairdo, Ms. Robbs said its easy to change up by flipping the pieces out in front or changing the bang.

The type of bob cut you get should match the shape of your face. Ms. Robbs said, if you have a rounder face, you want to keep it longer in front. According to ukhairdressers.com, rounder faces, like Kate Winslet or Drew Barrymore, should avoid straight bangs and instead go with layers you can sweep to the side.

Ms. Cunningham said, “I like it (the inverted bob) because I have really thick hair, so it takes a lot of the weight out of the back and feels lighter.”

E-mail Jennifer Adkins at jadkins@ timesfreepress.com

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