2011 haircuts

The return of the fringe / bangs
Trends can sweep in as if on an unstoppable avalanche, changing the landscape entirely (until they run their cycle); such is what the fringe (bangs) did back in 2007. But it doesn't have to end there. Some can drift on, lingering, having smaller bursts of renewed vigor. This year the fringe makes one such return as a 2011 hair trend.
Julia Stegner in Vogue Turkey, October 2010
How has it changed?
So the number one question you may be asking is, if the fringe never really went away, how has it changed in 2011? The answer is, it hasn't really. It's still best worn thick, blunt, and long (sweeping the top of the eyes preferably). And it's still best worn in one of the following ways:

with a messy, neo-bohemian, grungy edge

with an aura of '60s sex-kitten nonchalance (think Francoise Hardy or Jane Birkin)

straight and sleek; elegant but still natural

Hair cuts to wear it with
The bob
When we talk about fringed bobs its easy to think of 1920s style cuts like the Louise Brooks. But not so in 2011; now the fringe is the perfect accompaniment to a longer bob (think Abbey Lee Kershaw, below). Again this can work perfectly for a sixties-inspired look, or for a grungy messy 'do that's devil-may-care.
Abbey Lee Kershaw with bangs
The short crop
A pixie crop is also perfect with a fringe in 2011, but a slightly different type of fringe. Rather than being cut separate to the rest of the hair, it should all be a continuous; the crop simply cut longer in front to create the effect of bangs.
Carey Mulligan with cropped hair and bangs
Long hair
This rather goes without saying: bangs are perfect for hair shoulder length or longer, particularly when hair is naturally straight or with a slight wave.
Julia Stegner in Vogue Turkey
2011 medium length haircuts
Bob with bangs / fringe hairstyle
Like all fashion trends, hair trends generally come, go, and eventually come back. Infrequently, though, there is the odd hairstyle that appears to have had its time, only to soon reappear, though thoroughly evolved.
The bob and fringe (bangs) is one such hairstyle.
Surging to popularity in 2008 before fading out at the tail end of 2009, I didn't think that less than a year later a come back may be on the cards. And yet here it is, spurred on largely by model Abbey Lee Kershaw, as a part of 2011's hair trends.
Bob hairstyle on Abbey Lee Kershaw
Bob with bangs / fringe: difference in '11?
When it was last a hairstyle trend the bob with bangs / bob with fringe was all about razor sharpness - after all, it's origins were lay in the popularity of Victoria Beckham's razor sharp 'pob' hairstyle. Thus in 2008 the bob that was favoured had an edgy appeal and was often bluntly cut to chin length. By 2009 the bob had softened a little: fringes were growing out and messy layers were taking over from blunt lines.
In 2011, the bob with bangs / fringe hairstyle continues its evolution. Like so many of the year's clothing trends, the bob with bangs / fringe is going retro. The trend towards sophisticated 1970sdressing sees the bob evolve into something slightly longer and become a hairstyle that is neatly blow-waved under with a straight (but not too harsh) edge.
Abbey Lee Kershaw with a bob and bangs / fringe in Vogue Nippon
The same long bob can, in 2011, also be styled with a 1960s twist: back-combed for volume with the ends flicked out, or with a softer folk influence and unfussy styling (think Jane Birkin and Francoise Hardy).
Sixties long bob with long fringe: Francoise Hardy
About the fringe / bangs
By no means is the fringe mandatory to create a retro-inspired bob; you'll note that Keira Knightley is sans fringe in the inspiration link below. A fringe with a bob is, regardless, a part of the bob hairstyle trend in 2011.
The thickness and cut of the fringe hasn't changed all that much over the past few years; with fashion favouring thick fringes with blunt-cut lines. Wispy or layered fringes are still to be avoided. What you can play with is the length, with a shorter fringe (like the one seen on Abbey Lee Kershaw, below) another option.
Abbey Lee Kershaw with short bangs / fringe
Finally, one more way to mix up the fringe in 2011 - round down the corners to add a mod face-framing effect. This can be very subtle, or more dramatic depending on your preference.
2011 short haircuts
Pixie crop haircut
So many of the year's trends are about a revival of fashion from the 70s, and it's no different for2011 hairstyles. Of course, the pixie crop isn't a new hairstyle for the year: Fashionising.com has been writing about its popularity and evolution since 2007. And in 2011 the pixie crop will do just that, evolve. Or at least, revert. Spurred on by celebrities and trend influencers, such as Emma Waston, the pixie crop returns in 2011 to be a short crop - putting it in contrast to the longer interpretation of the hairstyle that was popular in 2010.
Pixie crop haircut in 2011
The picture of Emma Watson's pixie crop above visually summarises much about this trend for 2011. It's about short sides and an ever-so-slightly longer top and fringe, with the top and the sides blending perfectly. In essence, that makes the current pixie crop a comeback of the 1960s version of the haircut, then popularised by the likes of Mia Farrow.
As it always has been, the pixie crop remains a haircut for those with straight hair, though it is a cut that is open to those with either thin or thick hair.
Evolving towards 2012
As for how the hairstyle will evolve across the year and, potentially, into 2012, 2011's fashion trends are largely influenced by a 1970s fashion revival. With that in mind is not unreasonable to assume that the pixie crop will evolve across the year to adopt more trademarks of the cut from that era. Thus you'd expect to see more of an even cut all over, with longer sides than what we've seen to date.
If the 70s revival stays strong then there'd be one further evolution: the pixie crop would eventually make way for a pageboy, just as it did the first time around.
Both of these 1970s evolutions of the pixie crop haircut are pictured to the right, in an original hair style guide from the era.
Styling the pixie crop
Largely influenced by the 1960s, you'll find celebrity and street style inspiration for the haircut below. Perusing through the links you'll see that, particularly in the case of Emma Watson, that while the pixie crop is now cut the same way as it was in 1960s, it needn't be styled that way.