Sharon Stone’s haircut – and the best ways to go short in your 60s
On Tuesday, the actress Sharon Stone, 65, unveiled a new haircut on the Berlin Film Festival’s red carpet. Stone might have been draped in a Dolce & Gabbana floor-length white gown and a statement black cape, but all eyes were on her side-sweep haircut. The actress has been taking her hair colour darker and warmer and streaking it with blonde – all without overpowering her typically understated style.
The Oscar-winning actress is a creative, after all: Stone took up painting at the start of the pandemic and is currently showcasing a collection of her paintings at the Galerie Deschler in Berlin.
Speculation around how Stone maintains her looks is high. Of course, women in Hollywood know this all too well. But Stone speaks about ageing openly, recounting to InStyle recently her conversations with with friend and supermodel Elle Macpherson. “We sit and we talk because we’re growing into older ladies together,” she told the magazine. “I talk to her about, ‘How do you stay fit? What are you doing with yourself? How do you deal with people’s reactions to you?”
Stone has nevertheless honed the art of ageing well, never veering far from the hairstyle that suits her best. Celebrity hair stylist, Luke Hersheson, explains that “a short haircut that’s long on top and shorter at the back is timeless.” He adds that “the contrast of a long, heavier fringe with short back and sides makes [the cut] more forgiving as time goes on.”
Stone’s floppy haircut was made famous by a number of celebrity faces ranging from Julie Andrews in the 1960s to Linda Evangelista and Demi Moore in the 1990s – and it’s still just as relevant today. Leaving it to fall naturally, however, is key to its modernity, says Hersheson. “You have to wear the haircut; you can’t let the haircut wear you,” he insists.
“Haircuts now have fewer bells and whistles – if you want to retain that sense of youthfulness, use minimal products and have the confidence to let the haircut do its thing,” he says. He advises against “manipulating it into a strict style as was the case in the 1980s.”
The best thing about Stone’s hair is undoubtedly the versatility.
“Being able to move the front of the hair around, whether that be scraped backward, pushed to the side or tousled forward has its advantages; not only does it give you more styling options, but a long fringe can make fine hair appear thicker and disguise a long forehead, too,” Hersheson explains.
As with all matters of style, it’s the little things that go a long way. Hairdresser Larry King points to the soft tufts left at the neckline. “Leaving a few soft pieces in front of, and just below, the ears gives femininity and softness,” says King, who points to Kate Moss’s timeless 2001 pixie cut as the perfect example.
As Stone shows, hair colour should not be forgotten. “Highlights add the illusion of texture and thickness to hair and therefore should be considered when trying out a new haircut,” says Hersheson. There are two ways to go about this: subtly as Stone has, or more boldly like the actress Olivia Colman, who recently took her raven pixie cut to a sparkling platinum blonde.
Colour-changes might also demand new make-up. “When you radically change your hairstyle, especially if colour is involved, then reconsider your make-up too. You may find you need a bolder lip colour or more definition around your eyes – or bolder glasses. All parts of the equation need to be considered,” says Zoe Irwin, Creative Director at John Frieda.
If Sharon Stone’s new hairstyle tells us anything, it’s the power of a signature haircut. Find a shape that suits your face and hair type, then gently manoeuvre elements here and there. It all depends on the season of life you’re in.
The best short crops to inspire
