5 Short Hair Trends You Won't Be Able To Avoid This Fall

With the end of every season comes the desire for change. We do that with our clothes, our shoes, our jewelry, our makeup, and of course our hair. There's nothing quite like checking out the upcoming trends, taking inspiration from them, and giving ourselves the chance to reinvent who we are for the season ahead. In some ways, it can feel like a new beginning (and that's a good thing).

If you're wondering what's on the hair horizon for fall 2023 fashion, the answer is simple: chop it. It may seem a little scary for people with long hair, but sometimes taking a big risk for the sake of fashion is exactly what you need to spruce up your life. 

As Y2K and grunge-era fashion from the '80s makes a comeback, hairstyles this fall are looking short and disheveled, and we're here for it. "Short hair is making a big comeback and majorly trending right now," celebrity hairstylist Kim Kimble told People. Kimble predicts bobs and pixie cuts will be everywhere as the weather grows cooler. While no one says you have to keep up with the current hairstyles, if this is the year you decide you're into it, then get ready to go short and shaggy.

Although we tend to equate the "business up front, party in the back" look with the 1980s or hockey players, the mullet defies categorization — as we'll see this fall. In doing so, it makes a really fun option for those who aren't ready to go super short and still want to feel something on their neck. "The big trend I am increasingly seeing in the salon stems from the previous trend of 'done but undone' hair," senior stylist for L'Oréal Professionnel Mason Josh tells Who What Wear. "A mullet at a basic level is a super-layered haircut, with the layers really short and contrasting with a longer length. I am seeing people want a real 'wash-and-go' type of style that they can dress up or dress down."

With a mullet, it's impossible to not rock it correctly. As Josh points out, it really is a get-up-and-go haircut that needs little to no maintenance. In other words, it embraces everything that fashion is at the moment.

When it comes to the hairstyles of 2023, we're going to look back and remember icon-in-the-making Florence Pugh. Before the summer even hit, she had already donned a handful of cuts and every one looked fantastic on her. Now she's in her velvet crop era and she's pulling it off perfectly.

"We've seen plenty of the buzzcut throughout this year — think Florence Pugh, Emma Corrin, and Annabelle Dexter-Jones — and now it's evolving into a new type of 'suedehead' style that uses color placement to enhance the look more," hair stylist and trend forecaster Tom Smith tells Stylist. "To make this look, the length has to be a little longer — just enough to allow for texture to be created with color or a styling product or both."

Of all the hair trends of 2023, the velvet crop is the easiest to maintain. While not everyone may be willing to go so short, should you give it a try, you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner because there really is no up-keep at all. Buzzing your locks can be profoundly liberating. 

Bobs are so in this fall. From long bobs (lobs) to the sleek, short hairstyle of the French bob, trying to escape bobs this season will be impossible. There are so many variations, including shaggy bobs and bixies, which are part bob and part pixie. One of the most fun bobs out there is the Italian. It's longer than a lob and a bixie, and less sleek than a French bob, making it easy to wear in a "I don't care" sort of way that aligns with the Y2K styles of the moment.

"Textural details are what makes each kind of bob feel different and unique," colorist and L'Oréal Professionnel global ambassador Min Kim tells TZR. "It's hard to ignore how popular this look has gotten over the last few months and it's going to grow as we head into the next season. It offers lots of flexibility for styling and most importantly it has dimension and movement." Wear it with a scarf, clips, or half-up half-down, and you'll see just how versatile this cut is.

There's nothing quite like the iconic pixie cut. From Audrey Hepburn to Mia Farrow, and Winona Ryder to Halle Berry, every generation has had a woman who became known for her pixie. "The pixie cut has been an iconic style throughout the years," hairstylist George Northwood tells British Vogue. "It's now very of the moment once again, we saw lots of variations of the style coming down the runways at the autumn/winter '23 shows. Personally, I'm a fan of the '90s take on the pixie — think Winona Ryder and Princess Diana — who both had very wearable versions with a slightly longer fringe and more texture."

It may be a cut that never goes out of style, but it's back harder than ever this year. So, if you've been thinking how great you'd look with a pixie and in a baby doll dress, à la Mia Farrow in "Rosemary's Baby," this might be the season to chop it.

In keeping with the theme that messy is best, it only makes sense that the shag cut makes the list. Similar to the bob, there are many incarnations of the shag and it looks good on everyone — from Taylor Swift to rock 'n' roll legend Joan Jett. Its layers give it volume while keeping that disheveled look on target.

"This style has been reinvented in so many different ways and I believe it will make a comeback with more variations heading into 2023," hairstylist Kim Kimble tells Cosmopolitan. "We'll be seeing lots of layered styles that create a feathered, grungy look ... including layers with wispy curtain bangs." 

There's no shortage of short haircuts to try this fall. If you start with a shag cut that's right above the shoulders, you can make your way up to the velvet crop and try every style in between. Not only will you be able to say you rocked all the big short 'dos of fall 2023 but you, too, will be iconic in your own right.