Allure Exclusive! The Secrets Behind Jennifer Aniston's New 'Do: Chris McMillan Tells All!
By Amy Keller Laird, Allure magazine
I'm not one of those "just a trim" types of girls. I love a real haircut-a juicy change, a major chop, something noticeable. So I was psyched to see Jennifer Aniston lose her long, beachy layers for a crisp, angular bob (want other opinions? Check the Twitterverse: it blew up when Aniston debuted the cut yesterday). Obviously, I had to know the details. So I called Chris McMillan, her longtime hairstylist and an Allure contributor, who explained his inspiration, how you can get the cut-and the reality TV show that reignited his love for the bob.
Tell me about the cut. What inspired it?
McMillan: "I call it a hairline bob that follows the jawline down. It's shortened in back and longer in front. It's angled and inspired by Vidal Sassoon haircuts and Julie Christie from Shampoo."
Why now?
McMillan: "It was just time for a change. We had a blast doing it. And we've always liked this haircut. It's about keeping things simple. The way Celine and Calvin Klein and Jil Sander and all these clothing lines are keeping it really simple and chic. I really feel that fashion right now. All the styles are back to when I first started doing hair. And I love it."
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If you want the cut, what should you ask for at the salon?
McMillan: "In the back it angles up - it was cut at the nape. I love it when it's slightly angled. The angle adds a modern edge to it. To keep it modern, it's not too blunt but also not too layered. It kind of has a choppier edge. The ends are cut into, but mainly they're all one length."
Does Jennifer have naturally wavy hair? Do you have to blow out the hair with this cut?
McMillan: "We did blow it out for press, but we're exited to go kind of natural, like Kim Bassinger in 9 1/2 Weeks."
Once you cut her hair, did you need to change the color?
McMillan: "It's so funny. This is something that happens all the time: Whenever I cut someone's hair, they say, 'My color looks so much better.' The color kind of freshens up when you get a drastic haircut."
Looks like Jennifer's got volume at the roots. How do you get that?
McMillan: "A haircut at this length can tend to be a little round. You want to keep it a little more square. So I took the flatiron to straighten out the underneath pieces to take some of the roundness out, and I left the top fluffy and full. I used a bit of mousse at the roots to give it height at the crown."
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So it's all about the bob again, huh?
McMillan: "I'm loving bobs again. I love the girl in the YSL ads. It's a sexy look. The reason that I'm loving a bob at the moment... There are so many long, layered hairstyles - and don't get me wrong, I love that. But The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills all have that. You know what I mean? And what's the opposite direction you can go in?"
Can I write that, what you said about the real housewives?
McMillan: "[Laughs] Yes. They all have that natural, piecey hair. It's nice to take the extensions out of the hair and do something more natural. It's gotten out of hand. But I can't stop watching it."
God, that makes me want to go chop off all my hair. It's just hair. It grows.
McMillan: "Absolutely. Hair grows. Period."
You know that "Chris McMillan" is one of the most-searched terms on allure.com?
McMillan: "Really? That makes me feel good."
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Photo Credit: Getty Images
