Kerry Washington’s Bang-Accented Bob Adds Some Edge To The Classic Cut

Forget award show season, the Met Gala, and any assorted Fashion Weeks — the most exciting time for beauty might actually revolve around network up-fronts. In this series of VIP meetings designed for top-tier advertisers, TV stations and streaming services preview their upcoming projects and bring their biggest stars out to help. As it happens, some A-listers are using the platform to debut some newness of their own. At Disney’s first day of up-fronts, Kerry Washington’s bob with bangs made a serious splash — a fresh chop with an experimental fringe that taps into some of the season’s larger beauty trends.

Washington took the Disney stage in New York City on May 14, dressed up in an oxblood Brandon Maxwell dress with a high neck, cap sleeves, and dangling circular charms scattered all over the bodice and skirt. To play off the metallic tags attaching the fluttering pieces, she had a French manicure with gilded tips, as well as some delicate gold jewelry. But despite the drama of the dress, her fresh, bang-accented bob can’t help but pull focus. The length is undoubtedly classic, cropped somewhere between her shoulders and jawline for a sharp, streamlined look. What makes Washington’s new cut so exciting, though, is the choppy, artfully uneven set of micro-bangs that frames the entire hairstyle. It’s adds an ideal amount of edge while retaining that timeless feel Washington often gravitates toward.

The bangs are long enough to blend in with the rest of her blunt-cut bob, but short enough to show off her full, fluffy brows and the rest of her smoky brown eye makeup. For those who want to wade into the micro-bang trend but aren’t quite ready to commit to a more extreme take on the look, Washington’s version is an ideal in-between.

According to tags on a set of Instagram photos shared by the star, celebrity hairstylist Takisha Sturdivant-Drew is behind the cut. She and Washington have worked together on so many of the A-listers biggest red carpet moments ever, including the piece-y pageboy she wore to the Met Gala earlier in May. As a matter of fact, micro-bangs were all over that particular red carpet, cementing the polarizing cut as one major trend to watch.

Of course, the Disney up-fronts are far from Washington’s first go-round with a traditional-length bob. She’s worn assorted takes on the look several times over the past few years, most recently at a Chanel event in early March. While that voluminous, wavy cut was incredible, it’s given fresh life thanks to the new fringe addition. That’s kind of Washington’s way, though — she always manages to put a unique spin on even the most classic looks.