How to get 'the Flob' at your hairdressers - the style that suits everyone

There’s a good reason the bob has been going strong for the best part of a century. Ever since Louise Brooks debuted her raven Cleopatra-esque signature circa 1926 it has been an emblem of independent-minded women.

Part of the bob’s free-spirited aura derives from its air of low-maintenance androgyny. It’s the epitome of fuss-free simplicity. How ironic, then, that it can be so high-maintenance, requiring precision cutting and, in some cases, daily blow dries.

I should know. I’ve had one most of my adult life. Some days are great. Other days, hide. From Vidal Sassoon’s five-point bob – a synthesis of geometry and rebelliousness that’s as iconic a feature of 1960s British design ingenuity as the Mini car and the mini skirt – to Anna Wintour’s professionally blow-dried (every day) bob to the Pob, that draconian bob popularised by Victoria Beckham before her fashion make-under, bobs can be unforgiving beasts.

But now there’s a new bob we can all embrace because, in the spirit of the times, it’s far more inclusive and less demanding than bobs of old. If you can’t get to the salon for a regular blow-dry to smooth it down, no problem. It’s not meant to be smooth.

George Northwood, a master of understated, cool-looking cuts and the man responsible for Alexa Chung and Meghan’s hair, is calling it the Flob (the flat-ironed bob) and he predicts it will be the cut of 2021 now that hairdressers are open for the first time this year. It suits every age, he says.

Unlike traditional bobs, which can be quite harsh and require a firm jawline, the Flob relies less on precision snipping and more on a light, feathery shaping that the stylist adapts depending on face shape.

“The idea is to create a lightness around the face and it can be worn short, just below the cheekbones, or almost down to the shoulder line. The cut is a very classic shape, one length all over. If you have a thicker hair type you can ask your stylist to make it a bit choppier, which will add texture and movement. This might not be necessary for finer hair types. Then, styling the wave with a flat iron will really deconstruct the cut, giving it an androgynous, 1990s feel. Think of that cool, undone Calvin Klein 1990s campaign ad vibe.”

Unlike razor-sharp bobs, it’s incident-proof. If, for whatever reason, you don’t make it to your next cut for months, it should still look good.

It doesn’t come without some effort. You’ll need to blow-dry it to a reasonably smooth finish and use irons. We’re not talking about the ubiquitous ribbon curl but something more natural-looking.

“Ribbon curls can make bobs look too full and bouncy, widening the face and making a bob shorter than was intended,” says Northwood. “The idea with this is to create a flat wave that adds light, texture and shape.

“Apply some holding spray. Using flat irons or straighteners, start about an inch from the root, aiming the tongs downwards for a few seconds. Slide the irons from root to tips in a gentle zigzag motion, ensuring you create a bevill effect when you reach the ends. It shouldn’t look like a curl but an idealised just-got-out-of-bed effect. If you have very thick hair, start with the underneath sections and work outwards. If you can’t reach bits or can’t see them then don’t style them.” The Flob is the bob at its softest and most forgiving.

Lisa Armstrong's column appears each Saturday in The Saturday Telegraph and is published online every Saturday at 6am on Telegraph Fashion.

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