Kirsten Dunst's New French Bob Is the Shortest Her Hair's Been in 17 Years

Chances are Kirsten Dunst has ended up on your mood board at least once, whether you were taking inspiration from her ethereal fashion in The Virgin Suicides, or referencing her fiery red hair in Spider-Man before diving into the copper hair trend yourself. Well, the actress, producer, and director just shifted the gears on our aesthetic goals once again: On September 24, Dunst debuted a classic French bob at the Bottega Veneta show in Milan.

Dunst arrived at the show wearing an understated—yet so chic—black turtleneck and classic blue jeans. The simple outfit was the perfect backdrop for her new cut, which celebrity hairstylist Marcus Francis styled into soft, natural waves. "Kirsten wanted a change and hadn’t had her hair cut in a while," Francis exclusively tells Byrdie. "We entertained cutting bangs but since she has recently done that during the Oscar season, we talked about cutting it shorter." In fact, they went the shortest her hair has been in over 17 years, with Francis chopping off six inches of hair.

Before the chop, "Kirsten’s length was below the collarbone—[what] we both said was a 'safe length'," Francis explains. "She’s never been afraid to try looks, [when it comes to] beauty or fashion. We cut about six inches off, a length she hadn’t had since 2005. I think we were both excited about it. I just always ask my clients when they want a big change, if they’re 110% sure about it—because unlike color, you can’t go back."

"But because Kirsten has a beautiful face shape, and striking eyes and cheekbones, I knew it would be a knockout on her. I’ve followed her career and looks since I was a kid and she’s always been on many inspiration boards for me for other clients. She can wear her hair in any style."

As for the inspiration, Francis says Dunst was actually inspired by herself—talk about legend status. "She loved the cut she had for her film Melancholia, where it was above the shoulders and had a natural tousled shape to the cut, resembling a one length French style Bob haircut. I cut the hair into a cut point cutting to give the hair texture. I also cut the weight out of the ends to give the hair movement using a feathering method with the thinning shears in spots to make sure the cut didn’t go too triangular.”

For the cut's debut, Francis styled Dunst's bob to perfectly mirror her laid-back outfit, with some tousseled, face-framing waves. "She wanted a cut that made a statement, would look great with any look—perfect for fall fashion and sunglasses, blown out or not," he says. "The classic look of a turtleneck and jeans exudes a timeless feel which was the direction we wanted this haircut to live. The style was in the cut—understated European cool.”

To style the cut, Francis used the Olivia Garden Ceramic + Ion Hair Dryer ($110) and the Olivia Garden NanoThermic Ceramic + Ion Round Thermal Brush ($20), "which allowed me to keep the hair smooth and close to the head in order to give the fullness to the ends we had envisioned." Then, he used a larger brush—the Olivia Garden EcoHair Round Brush ($17)—at the nape of Dunst's neck for an extra-smooth finish. Finally, he used the Olivia Garden Ceramic + Ion Flat Iron ($110) to create small waves, mimicking a natural texture by bending away from her face so the hair perfectly framed her face.

The result? A cut that is as timeless and effortlessly chic as Kirsten Dunst herself.