<p>From soft curtain bangs and piecey Birkin-inspired fringes to daring micro cuts, bangs have quietly made their way back onto red carpets, runways, and city streets this year.</p>

<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/beauty/october-2026-beauty-edit-best-new-makeup-fragrance-skincare-hair-launches-medicube-dedcool-redken">Hair</a> trends move almost as quickly as fashion ones. Glass hair, the bob, the ’90s blowout—at this point, there are few cuts that haven’t had their moment. Bangs are no exception. After a few years of sleek middle parts and long, untouched lengths, the fringe is back in salon chairs and on red carpets, which brings up an obvious question: Are bangs actually worth the commitment?</p>
<p dir="ltr">Bangs also come with a reputation already attached to them. They’re the go-to haircut after a breakup, they take months to grow out, and they need a blow-dryer every morning (as most people who have regretted them will happily tell you). But whatever your past experience with bangs may be, that’s beside the point here. The fringe showing up this year looks very different from the heavy, flat-ironed bangs of the early 2010s.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The cut itself has been around far longer than most trends. Ancient Egyptians wore wigs with heavy, blunt fringes, and flappers paired theirs with sharp bobs in the 1920s. Brigitte Bardot and Jane Birkin made sweeping, lash-grazing bangs the height of cool in the ’60s. Even the word has a history of its own: “bangs” comes from “bangtail,” a 19th-century American term for a horse’s tail cut straight across.</p>
<p dir="ltr">More importantly, this year’s bangs are apparently meant to be lived in. Stylists are cutting them with razors and point-cutting shears instead of one blunt line, so the ends fall softly and grow out into face-framing layers. That makes the fringe far more forgiving for anyone trying it for the first time. Here’s how to wear every one of them.</p>

<h2 dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;">Curtain Bangs Are the Easiest Place to Start</h2>

Daisy-Edgar Jones on the ‘Sense and Sensibility’ 2026 Press Tour. Getty Images.

Mia Goth in Dior. Getty Images.

Mia Goth wearing custom Dior at the 2026 Actor Awards. Getty Images.

Mia Goth at the Dior Men's Fall/Winter 2026 show. Getty Images.

Mckenna Grace wearing archival Vera Wang and Chopard jewelry at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards on Jan. 4, 2026. Getty Images.

Mckenna Grace at the Coach Fall/Winter 2026. Getty Images.

Mckenna Grace at the premiere of 'Regretting You.' Getty Images.

<p dir="ltr">Curtain bangs are exactly the kind of fringe for someone who wants bangs without fully committing to them. They’re parted down the center and cut longer toward the cheekbones, so they sweep away from the face and blend into the layers around it. On the days they won’t cooperate, they tuck easily behind the ears, and they grow out with very little fuss.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Worn pin-straight, curtain bangs have a polished, ’60s quality. With more lift at the root, they lean softer and more romantic, especially in a French twist or a half-up style finished with a velvet bow.&nbsp;</p>

<h2 dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;">Birkin Bangs Look Better a Little Messy</h2>

Jane Birkin in the '70s. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

Jane Birkin. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

Jennifer Lawrence at the Dior Spring/Summer 2027 show during Paris Fashion Week. Getty Images.

Dakota Johnson and Melanie Griffith. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

<p dir="ltr">Named after <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/how-to-dress-like-jane-birkin">Jane Birkin</a>, these bangs sit right at the brow, a touch shorter in the center and longer toward the outer corners of the eyes. Stylists usually thin the ends with a razor so the strands break apart, which means they still look intentional when the wind gets to them. Jennifer Lawrence has worn more than a few versions of the cut this year, most recently a shorter, lighter fringe styled with texture spray over loose waves.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Birkin bangs don’t need much perfecting. A pea-sized amount of texture paste worked through with the fingertips is enough to keep the strands separated. A center part, soft waves, and minimal makeup are about all they ask for.</p>

<h2 dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;">Blunt Bangs Take Real Commitment</h2>

Dakota Johnson photographed by Quil Lemons for L'OFFICIEL USA March 2024.

Dakota Johnson photographed by Quil Lemons for L'OFFICIEL USA Spring 2024 Issue

Dakota Johnson wearing Valentino, Jessica McCormack jewelry at the 2025 Governors Awards. Getty Images.

Taylor Swift seen in West Village on April 27, 2026 in New York City. Getty Images.

Taylor Swift attending 'Toy Story 5' premiere in an Erdem dress. Getty Images.

Taylor Swift in Givenchy at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Getty Images.

<p dir="ltr">Then there are blunt bangs, where low maintenance goes out the window. They’re cut straight across in one even line, usually landing right at or just below the eyebrows, and they need a trim every three to four weeks to stay out of the eyes. Taylor Swift has rarely gone without hers in over a decade, most recently pairing them with a curly, shoulder-length lob.</p>
<p dir="ltr">They work especially well on straight and wavy hair. Since they set in whatever shape they dry in, they’re best styled while still damp, blow-dried side to side with a flat brush to get rid of any cowlicks. Curly hair can wear them too, as long as they’re cut dry to account for shrinkage. While blunt bangs aren’t necessarily low-maintenance, if you’re serious about your fringe, they might be worth a try.</p>

<h2 dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;">Shag Bangs Bring Back the ’70s</h2>

Courtesy of Instagram/@kennyjamez.

Odessa A'zion wearing custom Ott Dubai at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards on Jan. 4, 2026. Getty Images.

Odessa A'Zion in Valentino Couture and custom Pandora jewelry. Getty Images.

Odessa A'zion at the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscars party. Getty Images.

<p dir="ltr">Shag bangs are the heaviest of the textured cuts. They’re cut thick and choppy and blended into short layers through the crown, so the fringe moves with the rest of the hair. The style borrows from the rock-and-roll shags of the ’70s, and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/odessa-azion-age-career-films-tv-shows-parents-family-pamela-adlon-style-outfits-hair-routine">Odessa A’zion</a>’s tousled version has turned it into one of the most talked-about haircuts of the year.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Volume is the entire point here. A root-lifting mousse before blow-drying and a sea salt spray through the ends keep the layers airy, and golden highlights around the face add dimension. Heavy oils, on the other hand, are best skipped, since they weigh the layers down.</p>

<h2 dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;">Micro Bangs Are for the Bold</h2>

Zoë Kravitz at a 'Batman' event in 2022. Getty Images.

Zoë Kravitz ahead of the Saint Laurent Spring/Summer 2024 runway show. Getty Images.

<p dir="ltr">Micro bangs are perhaps the easiest cut to judge: either you love them or you don’t. They sit well above the eyebrows, often halfway up the forehead, leaving the face completely on display, a look Audrey Hepburn made famous in the ’50s. <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/harry-styles-zoe-kravitz-relationship-timeline-dating-engagement-rumours-ring-outfits-age-difference">Zoë Kravitz</a> paired hers with a flipped-out bob, while <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/dakota-johnson-calvin-klein-campaign-photos-behind-the-scenes-exclusive">Dakota Johnson</a> took her signature fringe shorter this spring.</p>
<p dir="ltr">There’s very little length to work with, so a small amount of pomade or a flyaway stick is enough to keep them in place. Just know they’ll need a trim every two to three weeks to hold their shape.</p>

<h2 style="text-align: center;">So, Which Bangs Are Right for You?</h2>

LOLA: Dress TANNER FLETCHER

ALISA: Top, pants, sunglasses, and bag CELINE Rings BULGAR

Top, shoes, and ring DIOR Tights STYLIST’S OWN

Dress MARNI Necklace and earring (styled as charm) PANDORA

Dress 3.1 PHILLIP LIM

Jacket, shirt, skirt, earrings, and bracelets SAINT LAURENT BY ANTHONY VACCARELLO

Top and brief COACH Shoes JIMMY CHOO

<p dir="ltr">Bangs can sometimes feel like a decision made in a moment and regretted for months after. This year’s versions don’t entirely escape that reputation—a fringe is still a fringe—but the softer cuts make a convincing argument for themselves.</p>
<p dir="ltr">What works is that there’s a noticeable difference between wanting a few soft pieces around the face, something piecey and undone, or a heavy, graphic line across the brow. Curtain and Birkin bangs grow out easily into face-framing layers. Blunt, shag, and micro bangs ask for more upkeep in exchange for a much bolder look. And for anyone who has been going back and forth on the scissors, that might be the strongest case for finally booking the appointment.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Below, see how more of our favorites are wearing bangs this season.</p>

Bangs Are Back: How to Wear Every Kind of Fringe This Fall

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