Fashion is cyclical. Hair is cyclical. Every decade we love gets revived, re-tuned, and re-released — usually with better products and a softer hand than the original. Clients walk into Fluff all the time with a picture of a 1940s movie still or a 1970s album cover or a 90s rom-com freeze-frame and ask if we can do that. The answer, almost always, is yes, and usually more flattering than it was the first time around.

This is our guide to the vintage looks we’re actually recreating right now — organized by decade, with notes on who they flatter, what they require, and how to ask for them at your next appointment. If you’re a bride-to-be, a wedding guest, a model walking into a shoot, or just someone who keeps saving the same reference pin, this is your shortcut.

1920s: finger waves and the chin-length bob

The flapper decade gave us two silhouettes that keep returning: the tight finger wave pressed flat against the head, and the blunt chin-length bob with a heavy fringe. Both require short-to-medium length and a stylist who understands set work — this is not blow-dry territory, it’s a wet-set-and-pin technique that takes time. The reward is a silhouette that reads editorial in every photograph.

Who it flatters: strong bone structure, especially cheekbones and a defined jawline. The flat crown and sculpted waves draw all the attention to the face.

How to ask: bring a reference of a finger-wave set (Josephine Baker, Louise Brooks) and be clear whether you want a fully-set look for an event or a loose, softer take on the shape for everyday wear.

1940s: Old Hollywood waves and the victory roll

Old Hollywood waves are the vintage look we do the most of, and by a wide margin. They’re sculpted, glossy, and symmetrical — big soft S-curves that sit low and flow in one direction. Veronica Lake, Rita Hayworth, Lauren Bacall. It works on medium-to-long hair and wants one side to dominate, usually with a deep side part.

The modern version is softer than the original. We use a large-barrel iron rather than pin curls, finish with a flexible-hold spray instead of a hard lacquer, and leave the surface shiny rather than sticky. The effect is the same sculpted wave without the helmet.

Victory rolls — the tight front rolls tucked above the forehead — are a more specific pin-up ask. They need strong-hold product and a client who wants a distinctly retro statement rather than a subtle nod.

1960s: the beehive and the flipped bob

The 60s gave us two extremes. The beehive is volume at the crown — teased, lifted, smoothed — with everything tight around the hairline. It reads Priscilla Presley, Brigitte Bardot, Audrey Hepburn at breakfast. The flipped bob is the opposite: sleek flat crown, chin-length, with the ends turned outward in a single deliberate curl. Jackie Kennedy, Mary Tyler Moore.

Both require patience. Beehives in particular want a stylist who knows how to tease without damaging the hair and smooth the exterior so the interior doesn’t show. If you want the look for a wedding or photo shoot, book a trial — this is not something to test for the first time on the actual day.

1970s: the shag, curtain bangs, and the Farrah flip

If the 40s wave is our most-requested event look, the 70s shag is our most-requested everyday cut. Choppy layers, curtain bangs, texture that moves instead of sits — it reads Jane Birkin, Jane Fonda, and every downtown Denver 24-year-old in 2026. The modern shag is softer than the original. We cut it with a razor rather than shears to keep the ends feathered, and we don’t overdo the layering.

Curtain bangs — the parted, face-framing fringe that sweeps away from the centre — came out of this decade and haven’t left since. They flatter almost every face shape because they create a soft oval around the features. If you’re hesitant about bangs in general, curtain bangs are the safest entry point — they grow out gracefully into face-framing layers rather than into an awkward phase.

The Farrah flip — feathered layers pulled back and outward at the temples — is a specific shag variant that needs mid-length hair and round-brush skill. It’s worth learning to blow it out yourself if you want the look regularly; our at-home blowout guide covers the technique.

1980s: volume, perms, and the power hair

The 80s are the decade people ask about the most cautiously — and they should. The original 80s look was big: full teased crown, tight corkscrew perm, a lot of product. The modern version keeps the volume but drops everything else. Loose waves with lifted roots, a soft perm on the lower lengths only, a shoulder-length blunt cut with one dominant side part.

We’ve seen a real comeback of the body wave — a low-intensity perm that adds movement without tight curls — for clients who want volume without daily styling. Done on healthy hair with the right solution, it’s much gentler than the perms your mom got in high school. Not recommended on lightened or repeatedly colour-treated hair, though; we’ll say no if your hair can’t take it.

1990s: the big blowout and the Rachel

The 90s are back hard. The blowout that defined that decade — lifted at the roots, rounded under at the ends, bouncy in motion — is the single most-requested finishing style for brides and wedding guests right now. It photographs beautifully, it moves, and it doesn’t read costume-y the way some vintage looks can.

The Rachel — layered, face-framing, gently flipped — is a real cut that a good stylist can still execute. It’s basically a 90s interpretation of the 70s shag, and it works best on medium-length hair with a natural bend or a light perm underneath to give the layers body. Ask for a soft, piecey version rather than the sharp original.

How to ask for a vintage look at your appointment

Three things make a vintage consultation work. One: bring a reference image, ideally two or three. Photos communicate specific shapes and textures faster than words. Two: tell us whether you want a costume-accurate recreation or a modern translation — that changes the product and technique choices completely. Three: book enough time. Set styles, teased volume, and finger waves take significantly longer than a standard blow-dry.

If the look is for an event (wedding, party, photo shoot) and you haven’t tried it before, book a trial. Fifteen minutes of live testing saves a day-of panic every time.