I Tried This Simple, Celebrity-Approved Hair Trick To Elongate My Round Face

Around this time three years ago, a (rather divisive, it turned out) debate was raging on TikTok after one user pondered whether anyone truly looks better with a side parting than they do a middle parting. To cut a long story short, the consensus was that side partings were only for those who are “old”.

That was in February 2021. Fast forward to today, and the side parting is very much back in favour, having appeared countless times on the runway in Milan last week (at Max Mara, Fendi and Prada, to name three), as well as on celebrities such as Kirsten Dunst, Dua Lipa, Florence Pugh and Camille Rowe. An age-old technique that can be used to quickly add volume to flat hairstyles, the side parting is a hallmark of the (currently trending) baroque bob, not to mention the fact that this potentially transformative trick is completely free and easy to execute.

“Some of the best inspiration for a good side parting comes from the ’90s, when both androgynous and supermodel hair were so popular,” says hairstylist Luke Hersheson. “It’s a look that lends itself both to a gamine aesthetic, and to old school glamour.” When they’re worn slick and tight – as they were on the Milan runways, often with tailored ensembles – they look super clean, minimal and a bit boyish. But when worn with volume and a big blow-out, they create another vibe entirely: Old Hollywood movie star hair.