I’m fond of a blog post series – I now run quite a few on A Little Bird, including Sunday Smile, The Blog Issue, As Inspired By… and Outfit Archives. There’s always room for another, though! The Article: series is my chance to write more journalistic pieces about fashion, beauty, life, love… you get the idea.
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Two years ago, I was sitting in a swanky salon – all leather seats, minimal decor and glossy magazines – staring at my reflection ruefully. An hour before I had shoulder length tresses, but now I was flashing some serious neck. I’d had the snip, and at first it was just as painful as its surgical namesake (probably).
There’s just something about short hair. People refer to you as ‘edgy’ and ‘directional’. You become an elfin girl with a pixie cut. And you’re brave too – short hair is a sign of courage, apparently. Something about having ‘nothing to hide behind’, like all our long-haired sisters are peering out from behind a hair curtain, Cousin It-style.
After a two year relationship with less-than-long locks, I can happily proclaim my undying love for the crop. No straighteners. No paddle brushes. No clips or curlers or instruments of tortu… erm, Bumpits. However, there are some rules us short haired girls should live by, to avoid muddles over gender or The Bald Effect (TM). And if there’s one thing I’ve learned during my years of neck exposure, it’s this…
Be very, very careful with ‘boyfriend clothing’.
The general premise behind ‘boyfriend clothing’ is that you’re a toned, tanned, tumble-haired beauty who’s slipped on her man’s jeans/shirt/tee/tie (that last one’s maybe a bit Ellen DeGeneres) after a night of Hollywood-standard passion. You’re so in love that wearing his clothes makes you feel closer to him, or maybe you wear them because you can’t be bothered ironing your pencil skirt after leaving it in a crumpled heap on his bedroom floor. Whichever, it’s sexy, it’s adorable and with all that bed-head hair, it’s feminine too.
Wearing your boyfriend’s clothes without that hair, however, is dangerous. Because from behind (and sometimes from the front if you’re hungover/out of blusher), you look like your actual boyfriend. Case in point – I have a lumberjack shirt in my wardrobe, oversized enough to be officially titled ‘the boyfriend shirt’. It’s designed to be worn loose and open with skintight jeans and a simple white tee. The epitome of boyfriend-borrowed style. But with short hair? I look like Zac Efron in High School Musical – wholesome yet rugged with subtly defined lashes.
I learned the hard way (being called ‘Sir’ while buying a calculator in Argos was a particular low point), but you, my dear short haired friends, can avoid any confusion over your physical composition AND wear your boyfriend’s shirt when you’re too lazy to do your washing, by following these simple tips.
Primark shirt, Topshop jeans, H&M tee, Primark brogues, Topshop ring
- Give an oversized shirt shape by knotting it at the bottom or adding a belt around the waist
- Team baggy pieces with form fitting ones – a loose shirt should be balanced with tight jeans
- Dainty jewellery (like my Topshop bird ring and vintage watch) adds femininity
- If in doubt, paint your nails and wear lipstick. Even Zac Efron doesn’t go that far!
