Friends. The TV show loved by almost everyone (except, possibly, me) – the perfect mix of female friendship, humour and nostalgia – not forgetting ‘The Rachel’ the most iconic haircut of ALL time.
That 90s girl-next door choppy bob with the long side fringe and cute face-cupping layers. I cut my long, wavy hair to emulate it the first time round; it inspired me to buy my first pair of straighteners to make sure my frizzy Middle-Eastern hair didn’t go too ‘big’ and had the right level of smooth.
And now, according to one of the UK’s top hairdressers, George Northwood, the man behind Megan Markle’s infamous Royal Wedding ‘loose bun’ and subsequent glorious hair days, the post-lockdown Rachel is back. But with a twist.
“People are coming in with much longer, more natural hair due to lockdown,” he says. “A lot of people have grown their fringes out, it’s allowed them to get past that awkward ‘inbetween stage’. They’re asking for a long bob, but with longer, blocky layers at the front – a modern day version of the Rachel.”
But while the Rachel was more chin length, those wanting to keep their longer hair are asking for longer, choppy layers, starting at the chin. And unlike in the 90s, the texture isn’t smooth, it’s the Rachel shape with a more undone and modern texture which is what George’s salon is known for.
It’s not just the cut that’s had a modern twist, it’s also the Rachel colour, too. Historically, the Rachel cut was complemented with subtle all-over streaks. Not any more. “Now, clients are embracing their roots more,” says George. They want it more smudged, and rooty, so their natural colour can still be seen at the roots.”
We’re calling it: this is the perfect style to prepare for a potential second lockdown so we won’t have to worry about our roots showing or layers growing out, because ‘undone’ is now the new ‘done’.
