A Cut Above : Letting the Ears Show, Now That Short Hair’s Back in Vogue

SHORT HAIR used to be the kiss of death for fashion models, who needed the versatility of long tresses. But now the above-the-ears crop is suddenly the international rage. Credit Canadian model Linda Evangelista, whose daring haircut--clipped by Parisian stylist Julien--looks so new that she’s become one of the Elite modeling agency’s hot properties, right up there with long-haired mannequins Paulina Porizkova and Cindy Crawford.

“In this business, having a distinctive style gets noticed,” says Monique Pillard, Elite president. And, all too quickly, a unique look gets copied. Evangelista cut her hair last summer for a Vogue magazine photo layout, and when the splashy pictures of her appeared in the December issue, other models headed for their hairdressers. By last month, Evangelista clones had turned up on the runways of every major designer-fashion show in New York.

The Evangelista look has also become a sensation among non-models. At the Rodeo Drive salon Joseph Martin, co-owner Joseph Kendall says, “Three women came in one day, all with the same magazine picture, and wanted the cut.”

Short in the back and on the sides, with enough length on top to be versatile, the style complements many face shapes. Long, thick bangs can graze the brow or be combed back and gelled to reveal more forehead. Actresses Melanie Griffith, Ali MacGraw and Jamie Lee Curtis wore variations of the style to the recent Academy Awards presentation, and compared to the long, voluminous coifs of other actresses, their new short hairdos looked avant-garde.

In Beverly Hills, celebrity stylist Jose Eber, who cropped MacGraw’s hair, is calling the short cut this city’s most important look. After MacGraw’s Oscar night appearance, Eber says his salons received hundreds of calls. “Women are finally ready. Now we don’t have to spend a half-hour convincing them to cut their hair.” At the Vidal Sassoon salon in London, international creative director Tim Hartley says that the cut has also taken Britain by storm. “It’s rather a rebellious look for the young, especially when the long bangs fall over the eyes like a veil,” he explains.

Not since New York hairdresser Suga snipped Olympic ice-skater Dorothy Hamill’s layered, tapered “wedge” for the 1976 Games has short hair looked so refreshing. Women of all ages imitated her style, and some still wear it. While the athlete’s cut was unmistakably feminine, Evangelista’s bob has been called “terribly sexy” by Vogue beauty director Shirley Lord, who says that the latest look “has an androgynous quality that everyone is trying to copy.” (Hartley has adapted the style to a men’s haircut as well.)

Lord notes that this summer, short hair will predominate on the pages of Vogue, but she’s quick to acknowledge that not everyone will be bold enough to get the short cut. For those more timid women and those who simply prefer long hair, Lord says, an updated look is still possible. “Twist it up on top of the head or wear a wig--anything that comes across short. Right now, everything else looks old-fashioned.”