Forget “new year, new me”, I’ve always sworn by an autumn reinvention. With its back-to-school energy and gradual shift in temperature, autumn has always felt like the ideal time for a stylistic switch up. And the simplest way to feel brand new come September? A haircut, of course. Enter: the “Winona” – which actually isn’t, in this instance, a reference to Winona Ryder’s short, choppy pixie cut from the early ’90s, but in fact her more grown-out “bixie” (that’s bob-meets-pixie), from her 1994 Reality Bites era. You know the one:
Swept to the side and androgynous, the Winona feels both versatile and low-effort – you can just as easily wear it mussed-up or slicked with gel as you can soft and simple. It’s this exact versatility that led 13 Reasons Why actor Katherine Langford to opt for her own recent hair transformation, which in many ways resembles a wavy, ultra-styled version of the Winona. “There’s a certain length that hits a sweet spot,” her hairstylist Halley Brisker told British Vogue. “It gives you multiple haircuts – you can wear it as a pixie, crop or even a super short, jaw-grazing bob. It’s basically three styles in one.”
Hairstylist and groomer Charley McEwen, who has styled everyone from Alexander Skarsgård to Lily Allen, has noticed a lot of people asking for this type of bixie – mostly because it feels quite throwback, which is bang on trend at the moment. “It carries a bit of that late ’90s elegance, which always circles back in fashion but never feels overly trend-led,” he explains.
Sam McKnight, Vogue contributing editor and world-renowned hairstylist who has tended the locks of everyone from Princess Diana to Kate Moss, recently posted a video showcasing his own take on the Winona. McKnight describes the haircut as “fresh and effortless”, adding that: “For the right hair type and texture it’s easy to manage, and still looks great whilst growing out.”
As for how to style the Winona, “it’s all about lived-in texture”, says McKnight. In Reality Bites, Winona’s hair looks borderline grungy, as if she hasn’t washed it in two days. Fortunately, it’s a look that can be easily recreated with the right product, depending on your hair type. “I love to mix my matte clay Perfect Mess with my creme pomade Dressed to Kill,” says McKnight. “It gives the hair texture, yet [also] definition. For finer hair types, a texture mist such as my Cool Girl [Superlift Volumising Spray] is ideal to give the hair volume without weighing it down.”
