It would be overdoing it to say that where Pamela Anderson goes, I follow. I mean, let me mention that film, Barbed Wire...no one would follow the girl there, would they?
But at the Met Gala, it was another matter. Pammy was the universal object of attention for no other reason than...her bob. It was a bob with a fringe, flicked up at the ends. It was fun, it was a break from all her other looks, and it was terrifically modern.
So, on the basis that if it's good enough for P. Anderson, it's good enough for me, off I went to Vidal Sassoon, the home of the Sixties bob at their glam HQ in Greek Street. Think Nancy Kwan - now there was a Vidal look. Think Mary Quant and her severe style.
Actually neither of these bobs would have done it for me; those women had sleek hair; mine is anything but smooth...it's fairly curly and rather coarse, the last hair that would have taken to a geometric cut.
But the good news is, according to Sassoon Creative Director Ida Newton, who sports her own curly bob hairstyle, that there is a Bob for Everyone. "Whatever your hair type, whatever your look, there's a bob for you.”
Nowadays the textured bob is very in - as in, her own wavy hair. There's an asymmetric bob, sweeping from short at the back to long in the front, which you can muss up for a less careful version. There's a box bob, for the geometric look. "Anyone can wear a bob." It was like a Sassoon manifesto.
Ida was terrifically keen on Pamela A's version. "It's sweet, it's cute", she said. "And that fringe...it's rather childish, purposefully naive. And it's rounded at the front, which makes it a bit softer. "
Her colleague joined her - '"It's definitely making a statement", she observed. The statement being, I reckon, that she was fed up with the old Pamela and wanted something perkier.
I drew the line at the fringe, myself. I can't do fringes. Besides, my hair grows so fast, it would be over my eyes in a matter of a fortnight. So if a fringe was out, a side parting was the way to go.
The crucial thing about a bob is that it should be above the shoulder, so fairly short. In the Twenties it wasn't so much a noun as a verb; you had your hair bobbed and it was the look that set the post war girl apart from the pre-war version, who grew her hair long and put it up when she grew up.
Hair like that needed a hairdresser; the bob was low maintenance, and it was said that some of the pioneers headed to the barber for their cut. "A bob suggests you are taking control of your look", declared Ida. "It doesn't need to be done for you."
Well, snip, snip, snip, and three and a half inches of hair fell to the floor, and lo, Ida turned me from a woman with layers to a new, bobbed version of myself, with a slightly square-cut base (though that's not obligatory), rounded a bit at the front, like Pammy. And yes, it felt lighter and easier. It seems too, that if I wash it and leave it, it'll be less voluminous. So for once I'll be one of those Wash and Go women. It also looks good tucked behind the ears.
So, there you go girls. It's me and Pammy at the cutting edge of hair... and what we say is, if you want to get ahead, get a Bob.
Considering a bob? Heed Ida Newton’s top tips
“If you get a bob hairstyle that's not layered, and you've got big hair, try leaving it to dry by itself. If you blow dry, you'll increase the volume, which isn't what you want.”
“Give thought to what kind of bob you can realistically aim for. A strict, geometric look worked well on Mary Quant; it won't work quite so well if you've got coarse or frizzy hair; go with the texture of your hair.”
“A fringe works well, and can be cute, if you've got a high forehead. If yours is low, consider a side parting instead.”
“If you're blow-drying your bob, use lots of a balm like O&S PM Balm, £39.50 and a medium round brush to maintain the shape.
“Remember, bobs are infinitely versatile and change over time. A Twenties style severe box bob with a straight fringe can look brilliant,but so too can an Eighties mussed-up look. Take a look at your face shape with your hairdresser.”
House of Sassoon, Soho, 16-17 Greek Street, 0204 538 9400.
