From flapper bobs to victory rolls, Birkin bangs to bombshell blowouts, these 22 vintage hairstyles that prove that, the beauty world, the past is very much present.

Modern hair trends are full of retro undertones. Shapes, texture, and general approaches often includes notes of styles past, each slightly shifted to suit the current narrative.

The most memorable vintage hairstyles marked cultural shifts and defined aesthetic eras, cuts and coifs a blend of revolution and art. From flapper bobs to victory rolls, Birkin bangs to bombshell blowouts, these 22 vintage hairstyles that prove that, the beauty world, the past is very much present.

Waved Bob

The inherently rebellious bob visually defined the entirety of the 1920s. This fluffed and finger-waved version, worn here by actress Anita Page, is sculptural yet free-form, echoing the irreverent nature of the decade. 

Flapper Bob

A stark contrast to the era’s softer bobs, the angular bobs of the ‘20s featured clean lines and perfectly polished finishes. Louise Brooke’s blunt bangs and curved cut—styled to punctuate the cheekbones—elegantly frame her face. The sharp variation was a a favorite among flappers, the chop an open eschewal of traditional femininity.

Kiss Curl

Jospehine Baker’s shellacked kiss curl was a signature of the French performer. Though perhaps not as dramatic as Baker’s take, the kiss curl endures in various forms with edges gelled in stylized loops and swoops. 

Pinned Curls

Clara Bow may be best known for her brows, but these piled ringlets and finger-wave frame are worthy of note.  

Baby Bangs

These throwback baby bangs were cut to showcase Barbara Stanwyck’s natural texture, the resulting look quirky and cute.

Scarlett Twists

Vivien Leigh’s iconic turn as Gone With the Wind's Scarlett O’Hara was set off by this set of partial twists. The style pulls focus to the face without sacrificing in drama, teaming with her brushed-up, triangular lengths to create an hourglass-like shape. 

Holiday Florals

You can’t talk Billie Holiday without noting her penchant for the floral hair accessory. Holiday's gardenias were supposedly a solution to a styling issue: the jazz singer allegedly damaged her hair with a curling iron (who among us?) and used the flowers as a clever cover up. Decades later, the whimsical statement endures.

The Peek-a-Boo

This vintage hairstyle defined an era. Veronica Lake’s peek-a-boo hair, deeply parted and styled to partially obscure one eye, was the height of semi-sultry glamour in the early 1940s. The style was reportedly born during the filming of I Wanted Wings, during which Lake's lengths fell into her face, creating an unwitting trademark.

Victory Rolls

Worn throughout World War II, victory curls (a style synonymous with the era's pin-up girls) were pinned high and inward to take on the shape of a "V." The retro style could be worn at center or to one side, in half-up fashion or with a tie-back, and with any texture.

Luxury Lob

Lauren Bacall's ever-luxurious lengths (pictured here at her shortest shape of the decade) were offered sleek sophistication via softly brushed curls and a combed-back side part.

Brushed Blowout

A grown-out sister of Bacall’s bob, Rita Hayworth’s soft blowout is an eternal signal of sumptuous glamour—and a precursor to bombshell aesthetics to come.

Baby Beehive

The beehive hairstyle was a beacon of the '60s, and, like the fashions, raged from wearable to mod-futuristic and over-the-top. Jane Fonda favors the former, carrying off a mini version of the big look as easily as one might a French twist of chignon.

Gamine Pixie

Mia Farrow's prim pixie, cut for her role in Rosemary's Baby, redefined the short style. Though Farrow initially chopped her own blonde mane, the final look was trimmed and shaped by hairstylist Vidal Sassoon.

Bardot Bouffant

The messy and mussed bouffant worn by Brigitte Bardot is the very embodiment of French girl insouciance.

Birkin Bangs

Jane Birkin’s bangs are a quintessential fringe style. Long, full, blended, and perfectly piecey, the cut oozes It girl—no matter the era.

Bohemian Braids

Joni Mitchell's pair of glossy plaits become something elegant with a combed-back crown, woven and loose sections commingling with jewelry like extra accessories.

Cher Hair

If "mermaid hair" is the ultimate descriptor of interminable waves, "Cher hair" is the same for pin-straight manes worn to the waist. The performer's confidence and easy (on any stage, in any ensemble) were and are furthered by her aspirational curtain of hair.

Disco Afro

As Diana Ross's career continued to burgeon, so did her hair. The performer has adopted a variety of iconic styles over the years, but her Disco-era afro was larger than life and just as glam.

Feathered Cut

Hair blow to fan and feather away from the face may as well be referred to as the Farrah Fawcett. The actress's fluffy, full-bodied mane is echoed in current retro-inspired styles like the butterfly cut and curtain bangs.

Rockstar Mullet

The subversiveness of '80s rock 'n' roll is aptly embodied in the decade's cheeky mullets. Joan Jett's version definitely includes some party in the front as well as the back, jagged elements lending to its innate coolness.

Macro Mullet

Tina Turner took the mullet and turned it up several notches. As the years passed, the performer's idiosyncratic hairstyle grew in height and texture, taking on a character all its own.

Bombshell Blowout

The '90s beauty revival owes major credit to Cindy Crawford and her healthy, voluminous blowout. The supers of the decade took up space, and Crawford's hair (and its many, many emulations) does its part and then some.