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On the swinging London scene, Jean Shrimpton, who turns 77 today, was many things: A supermodel, with her face splashed across the pages of Vogue; a youthquaker notorious for hitting the town on the arm of photographer David Bailey; and original purveyor of the Brit-girl blowout. "That pert, flipped shoulder-length bob epitomized both 'The Shrimp' and the '60s," explains hairstylist Sam McKnight, who has tended to several decades worth of British beauties, from Princess Diana to Kate Moss. Teased at the crown and flipped at the ends, with cool, eyelash-grazing fringe, Shrimpton's bombshell mane was the iconic beauty’s pièce de résistance. And, with the help of a few updated twists, has just as much appeal today as it did then.
For the record, McKnight doesn't believe that Shrimpton's go-to style was the handiwork of a blowout, but rather well-placed rollers, setting lotion, and a set underneath an old-fashioned hooded dryer. But, as opposed to the Sixties, speed is of the essence now. With “faster tools and better products at our disposal now," McKnight suggests using a light, speedy dryer like The Dyson Supersonic with an airy mousse to smooth the hair, then roughing up the mids to ends with a dry shampoo or a texturizer like his Cool Girl Barely There Texture Mist. To finish the look, flip the ends outward with a rounded hot brush, set the hair at the crown with three Velcro rollers for a Brigitte Bardot-esque "bump," and blast the roots with hairspray. And, if you've got fringe like Shrimpton? Embrace their natural wispiness. "I always think the bangs look more fresh if they’re not too finished," explains McKnight. "Slightly uneven and not too heavy is the aim." And there you have it: Retro sex-kitten hair with a dose of modern ease.