Your Stylist: Cropped tops - L.A’s best stylists for short hair

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Resident Image stylist and market editor Melissa Magsaysay soothes your sartorial woes in the weekly Your Stylist blog column

Hi my name is Jackie and I just moved to LA and I am looking for a hair stylist who cuts short hair well. Might you have anyone to recommend? Thank you Jackie Rexford, Los Angeles

Short hair is certainly having a moment right now, due in no small part to all of the spritely celebrities shearing their locks right off. The most successful cuts belong to Emma Watson, Ashlee Simpson and Michelle Williams, all of whom effortlessly sport the gamine crop.

Pixie cuts have been especially refreshing to see in Hollywood, since long, fried extensions are generally the go-to accessory for pop stars and actresses. It seems as though a lot of people want to start fresh, go back to basics and show off their natural beauty and well, their incredible bone structure.

Stylist Adam Campbell at the Prive Salon has been inundated with clients bringing in pictures of Emma Watson and Carrie Mulligan as inspiration. And although the style can be severe and specific to a certain face shape, Campbell assures us that there are plenty of variations on a pixie cut to fit everybody.

“Someone may not get the exact Emma Watson cut, because they should have a cut that’s tailored to them depending on their face shape,” says Campbell. “Maybe I’ll leave some fringe in the front or some layers. There are ways of cutting the hair short while still accentuating the positive.”

While short hair is quite a commitment and maintaining it will land you in a stylist’s chair more often for clean ups (Campbell recommends every 4-6 weeks), having a good stylist and good cut will make grow-out easier to manage and let the cut possibly morph into a bob or a-line shape, which Campbell notes are flattering styles on most people.

Adam Campbell at Prive Salon -– cuts are $185. 7373 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles 90036. (323) 931-5559.

If you love Ashlee Simpson’s platinum pixie cut with the long front and shorter back, go see Andy Lecompte at his West Hollywood salon. The stylist (who also coifs Madonna and a slew of major celebrities) gave Simpson her more sophisticated ‘do and colorist Steven Tapp took her hair to that glistening blond.

Andy Lecompte and Steven Tapp at the Andy Lecompte Salon –- cuts by Lecompte are $500 and highlights range from $200 to $500. 616 N Almont Drive, West Hollywood 90069. (310) 273-4100

Hair stylist Joey Carerra at the Warren Tricomi salon also specializes in short hair cuts and has been getting requests from his clients to cut their hair just like Emma Watson and Halle Berry. While short hair may seem more wash-and-go than long locks, Carerra warns that short hair doesn’t necessarily mean less maintenance. “Shorter hair doesn’t always mean no maintenance, so make sure you fully understand what it will take to keep up the look before you commit,” he says. Carerra recommends going through a full consultation with your stylist, because hair texture has a lot to do with the outcome. And consider coloring your hair in a shade that complements and accentuates the cut.

Joey Carerra at the Warren Tricomi salon -– cuts are $156. 8327 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, 90069. (323) 651-4545

For an edgier, more directional short style, Doug Peyton at Hairroin Salon in Hollywood gives Rock ‘N’ Roll cuts to people who like a more fashion-forward crop that doesn’t follow trends, but sets them.

Doug Peyton at Hairroin Salon -- cuts are $85. 1553 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles, 90028. (323) 467-0392

Molly Scargall and Josh Kaplan, who own Goo Salon, have been doing a lot of short hair cuts lately, more along the lines of Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby. “Ever since Emma Watson cut her hair, people have wanted to go even shorter and more daring,” says Kaplan. He recommends coloring a short hair cut with a solid shade, rather than getting too many highlights, which he says can look like polka dots on the head. “A few highlights in the front are OK, but doing them all over can tend to take away from the style of a short hair cut.”

Molly Scargall and Josh Kaplan at Goo Salon -– cuts are $75. 459 1/2 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, 90036. (323) 653-1299

-- Melissa Magsaysay