The new darling among women is Bob. Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham has fallen for him and in the spring, a lot of fashion-conscious women will most certainly follow suit.

Bob in this case is not a man, but the classic bob haircut, which is making a comeback. Accurate cuts and styles that have a geometric look - inspired by haircuts popular in the 1920s and 1960s - also are trendy. Men’s hairstyles, meanwhile, are reminiscent of the 1980s.
The new look is flat and glossy. Compact cuts are displacing soft, fringed cuts. “Exact cuts are coming at the expense of playful elements,” according to one European association of sylists.
The new interpretations of the bob are not as strict as they initially appear. Precision is always combined with a soft structure, the association says.
“The contours are in fact often very geometric,” said hair fashion journalist Simone Frieb. “The cut itself is, however, flexible and very, very versatile.”
Miss Frieb said hairstyles currently are shifting between two poles.
“On one side are the classic feminine looks that are long and lustrous. On the other side are androgynous looks,” she said, adding that such extreme short hairstyles are ideal in combination with classically cut pantsuits.
Martina Acht, a world champion hairstylist, also sees hairstyles moving in two directions. A natural look with long layers contrasts with geometric cuts in which hair colour greatly comes into play.
The favourite is the bob.
“Bobs are the height of current style. Victoria Beckham is the best example of that,” said Miss Acht. Smooth, round and chin-length, a traditional bob curves around the side of the head. There are new versions in which the front is cut in a mushroom shape and the back remains long.
Current variations employ vastly asymmetric and undercut sections of hair.
Men who want to be stylish are having their hair done like the musicians of the ‘80s band Duran Duran.
“Provocative and very masculine” is how the central association of barbers characterizes the new looks.
“Longer hair is clearly in style for men,” said hairdresser Jens Dagne.
The new rock-star style uses long layers and asymmetrically cut bangs. The hair is then twirled, worked over with a straightening iron and kneaded. Occasionally, it’s then slickened with a gel. Restraint is the trend in men’s hair colour, as in women’s.
“A lot of dark browns in interesting shades” are the favourites for summer, said Koehn. Aside from that a lot of time is being invested in grooming and styling. People again value having nice hair,” added Miss Frieb.
Hairstyles have become “precious and luxurious.a And hair must be well groomed because that’s the only way to make it shine.
Stephen Grant Herschel’s column will be back next week.

Sandra Cantzler