'Flippy Bobs' Are Back! All About Hollywood's Hottest Nostalgic Hair Trend

Mar. 15, 2025

Quinta Brunson, Julianne Hough and America Ferrera.Photo:Presley Ann/Getty Images; Rob Latour/Shutterstock; Michael Buckner/Golden Globes 2024/Golden Globes 2024 via Getty Images

Presley Ann/Getty Images; Rob Latour/Shutterstock; Michael Buckner/Golden Globes 2024/Golden Globes 2024 via Getty Images

There’s something in the air in Hollywood. Or, should we say, there’s something in thehair.

WhenJulianne Houghtook toInstagramon Jan. 6 totease a new haircut, then showed up to host the Creative Arts Emmys the next day witha flipped-up bob, she was just one of several celebrities that day to turn heads with the fresh look.

These stars are among the many committing to the cute, short bob cut, which hovers around chin length and is styled in a C-shape. The big twist, however, is the curled-out ends, which give us flashbacks toYMin 1998 (think:modified “The Rachel,” orDrew Barrymore with bangs, orAshley Olsen in acardigan and pastel skirt).

“It’s almost nostalgic. It brings a sense of happiness,” says Hough’s hairstylist Riawna Capri of the look.

The Nine Zero One salon co-owner tells PEOPLE about the day Hough made the cut.

The decision was about “letting go” literally and figuratively, Capri says. “DuringDancing with the Stars, she kept saying, ‘I think I want to go short,’ then then one day we did a faux bob forDancingand after that she was like, ‘let’s do this.’”

Capri continues, “There are times when I know she’s just talking and there are times when I know it’s for real, and it was for real that time. So we looked at our calendars right then and there.”

Julianne Hough.Rob Latour/Shutterstock

Rob Latour/Shutterstock

With the January date set, the duo leaned into the mantra: New Year, new do.

“Hair is like crystals — it holds energy,” Capri says. “If you have hair that’s down to the middle of your back, that’s whatever’s been going on in your life the past three years, if not more. You’re carrying that dead weight around with you. That’s why there’s such a release when people chop their hair — you’re literally letting go.”

She adds, “It’s an interesting thing, and why I love what I do. Doing things like this make people feel good inside. It’s so much more than just the bob or the big chop. It really is a release of energy. That’s exciting.”

They created the look in stages over the course of several days. “It’s probably about five to six haircuts altogether,” Capri reveals.

The result: a look that’s “simple, chic and crisp,” Capri says. “It’s very Parisian, polished. That’s what she wanted. This is not theOG Julianne cut with texture and a piecey-ness[to it], this is structured, blunt.”

Ayo Edebiri and America Ferrera.Monica Schipper/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images; Michael Buckner/Golden Globes 2024/Golden Globes 2024 via Getty Images

Monica Schipper/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images; Michael Buckner/Golden Globes 2024/Golden Globes 2024 via Getty Images

As for the styling, Capri explains, “it wraps around your ear to your chin in a C- shape. It’s 100 percent bringing the ’90s vibes:My So Called Life. Gwyneth Paltrow.”

Want the look? “You definitely want to smooth the hair with a blow-dryer as well as smoothing products. I’m really loving R+Co Bleu’s stuff. Their oilOptical Illusionis my new favorite.”

Capri notes that on Hough’s hair she also used a deep conditioning serum before blow-drying it because they’d just colored her hair and wanted to maintain the health of it.

Using a flat iron, she created the C-shape: “I don’t want volume. I don’t want the hair to get bulbous. I want it sleek, and a flat iron can help me create that tight look versus a curling iron that would create more volume.”

Quinta Brunson and Carey Mulligan.Presley Ann/Getty Images; Karwai Tang/WireImage

Presley Ann/Getty Images; Karwai Tang/WireImage

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The “flip action” is especially cool, Capri says. “When you do have hair this short, you can feel limited. Right now, this is the hot flip.”

source: people.com