The evolution of the bob: The origins and enduring appeal of the timeless hairstyle

Sleek, choppy, asymmetric … here's why the bob remains as fresh as ever after decades in the spotlight

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  Joan of Arc: Back in the 15th century, the national heroine of France chose the haircut for practical rather than stylish reasons – to disguise her gender from the English during the 100 Years War between Britain and France. In France, the bob has been referred to as the 'coupe a la Jeanne D’Arc'. Getty Images

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  Louise Brooks: Synonymous with the flapper chic of the roaring '20s, although dancer and performer Brooks didn’t start the sharp bob trend, she is credited with popularising it. The fact that the haircut left the neck uncovered was considered scandalous. Getty Images

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  Clara Bow: The original 'It Girl', Bow’s curly-haired take on the bob has become a focal point for modern-day hairstylists recreating the looks of the '20s. Getty Images

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  Marilyn Monroe: Wielding a style influence that is still felt today, Monroe’s platinum blonde ‘do ushered in an ultra-modern take on the classic look – the bombshell bob. 'In Hollywood a girl's virtue is much less important than her hair 'do,' she famously said. Getty Images

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  Jackie Kennedy: The First Lady achieved mythical style status both in her native US and across the globe, and hers is a look that has endured, thanks to her decades-long commitment to the same hairstyle, albeit in different lengths. Getty Images

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  The Supremes: Diana Ross, Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson didn’t only co-ordinate their outfits. The Motown trio used an array of wigs to achieve their look which usually favoured bob-style haircuts. Getty Images

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  Faye Dunaway: Dunaway’s look in the 1967 film ‘Bonnie & Clyde’ continues to inspire today, from the beret to the pencil skirts. However it is the sleek, honey-blonde long bob to which hairstylists often refer when creating a timeless look. Warner Bros

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  Debbie Harry: The classic bob got a long overdue rock’n’roll makeover thanks to Blondie’s Debbie Harry. Dyed platinum a la Marilyn, Harry debuted a choppier, layered take on the style. Getty Images

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  Drew Barrymore: The actress’s dedication to the bob has endured for decades, but with each year, she adds a new twist to her favourite look. And her '90s era, cutesy, choppy take on the bob perfectly encapsulates the Hollywood-meets-grunge look of the time. Getty Images

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  Linda Evangelista: Credit for creating the supermodel’s famous look goes to editorial hairstylist Julien d’Ys. 'I didn’t know what I was going to do until I started doing it,' d’Ys told ‘Vogue’. 'My inspiration was in my head. In America, I had seen a box of Florida oranges that had a picture of a little boy with a bob haircut on it. It reminded me a bit of the Beatles.' Getty Images

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  Natalie Portman: Although the actress has toyed with the style in real life, it was her look as the precocious Mathilda in 1994 film ‘Leon that has come to be included in the annals of cinematic style history, thanks to the addition of the messy, teenage fringe. Getty Images

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  Uma Thurman: If further proof was needed that the bob is one of the most timeless looks, Thurman’s hairstyle as Mia Wallace in 1994’s ‘Pulp Fiction’ never fails to make the 'most memorable movie hairstyle lists'. Shutterstock

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  Naomi Campbell: The chameleonic supermodel is known for switching up her lengths with the snap of a wig. However, her staying power in fashion can be credited to her always-in-style approach to her hair – a bob, whether long or short. AFP

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  Gwyneth Paltrow: The Oscar winner had toyed with a shorter bob offscreen, but it was her flat, savagely parted long bob as the perennially depressed Margot Tenenbaum in 2001’s ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ that has made its way into pop culture. Shutterstock

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  Victoria Beckham: The former Spice Girl's graduated version was so famous in the '90s and '00s it even got his own nickname – the 'pob', short for posh bob. AFP

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  Cameron Diaz: No other actress has epitomised low-key California chic in recent years as much as Diaz. So it makes sense that she would put a very Cali twist on her bob, creating beachy waves for that just-walked-out-the-surf vibe. AFP

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  Rihanna: The singer and make-up mogul has experimented with many bobs throughout her career. From graduated asymmetric to Louise Brooks-esque sharpness, adding and growing out her fringe over the years. WireImage

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  Anna Wintour: The US ‘Vogue’ editor’s dedication to the bob has made it her signature. 'I’ve had the same haircut for 100 years, and I wore my glasses for 100 years, and I tend not to change,' she’s said of her style. AFP

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  Carey Mulligan: Whether choppy and mussed up or sleekly flat ironed, the British actress also plays with the length of her bob. AFP

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  Zendaya: The Emmy winner has continually experimented with her look, but it was her bubble-style take on the bob that became a fashion moment in a style career filled with many. AFP

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  Taylor Swift: It seems fitting that the award-winning singer should swap the long girlish tresses of her early country music days for a sleek long bob when she decided to reinvent herself as a pop star. AFP

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  Rosamund Pike: From Bond girl to ‘Gone Girl’, the bob, in all its many lengths, has long been the go-to hairstyle of choice for the British actress both off and onscreen. And the 41-year-old opted for a razor-sharp version of the classic to play the morally bankrupt Marla Grayson in Netflix’s ‘I Care a Lot’. Netflix

"Fashion fades, style is eternal," Yves Saint Laurent famously pointed out. And the fashion world would unanimously agree that the bob hairstyle is a look that can be filed under eternal.

Having never gone out of style since its modern incarnation emerged back in the 1920s, each subsequent decade has delivered a new twist on the perennial classic. And its most recent reinvention is as razor sharp as the woman wearing it, British actress Rosamund Pike in her role as the morally bankrupt Marla Grayson in Netflix's I Care a Lot.

Rosamund Pike's cut-glass take on the bob reflects her character in 'I Care a Lot'. Netflix

The origins of the modern bob remain disputed. While some believe it originated in Paris, where it was called the “garconne” – French for “boy” – others claim New York students living in Greenwich Village were responsible for the trend. Although, there is also evidence to suggest it was favoured by the female intelligentsia in Russia at the turn of the 20th century. However, while the bob's provenance is debated, the dates of its origin are firmer – most agree that the style started to catch on in the early 1900s.

One of the earliest originators of the trend was American dancer and actress Irene Castle, with the "Castle bob" named after her. But it wasn't until the roaring '20s, and the explosion of flapper chic, that the haircut became synonymous with the style of the day, with Coco Chanel and cartoon diva Betty Boop both early adopters.

Throughout the decades since, the haircut has never gone out of style, merely evolving across the years and adapting to the fashions of the day, proving itself one of the most timeless looks for locks.

During the Swinging Sixties in London, the haircut was redefined with additional geometric proportions when designer Mary Quant turned to hairdresser Vidal Sassoon to create her signature cut-glass bob which epitomised the decade.

From Jackie Kennedy and The Supremes' highly structured versions, to Debbie Harry's rock'n'roll take; Drew Barrymore's flower child grunge to Victoria Beckham's sleek "pob", and Naomi Campbell's modern flapper to Anna Wintour's signature look, these famous fans of the bob showcase the style in all its versatile glory.

Scroll through the gallery above for the many variations of the classic hairstyle.