The 60s might be long gone, but that's not to say that its Mod vibes are any less alluring. With the 1960s very much a part of the fashion scene again, our attention turns to the hairstyles and haircuts that not only have overtones of the decade, but also romanticise it. And romantic is precisely what the Mod bob is.

When John F Kennedy was quoted saying, “Those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future,” the world should have given him credit for the not-so-closeted fashioniser in him.

In reality Kennedy was, without a doubt, talking about something much more serious in terms of politics, leadership, economy and technology, but as Fashionising.com readers you’ll know how we like to interpret words, images and clothes.

But despite the fact that fashion is always progressing towards the future, the coming year is all about anything but that. So much so, that it’s the perfect year for those of us who are nostalgic and cannot stop dreaming of the past, and an equally perfect year for those who want to follow fashion designers whose creative minds draw inspiration from the years gone by.

While there are certainly other decades of influence, one of the biggest 2012 fashion trends that’s defining the year is the 1960s fashion revival. First runway shows aplenty had a sixties-makeover and then the London look presented us with a modern Swinging Sixties muse. With many a fashion accessory also taking inspiration from the sixties, it was almost certain that women’s hairstyles would quickly get inline with the evolving trend.

When you look back at the era, Brigitte Bardot was the poster girl not only for its hairstyles but the era full stop. Hence it’s not a bouffant that we speak of, but rather the Brigitte Bardot hairstyle with its bed hair qualities and centre part. Unlike some of her fellow Sixties beauties, Bardot chose to cater to her sensual and messy side, with the allure of her trademark hairstyle resting just as much on its untidiness as on her personality itself. And it’s this allure that 2012′s revival of a short bob hairstyle with Mod overtones rests upon – consider it the short haired sex kitten look.

But the 1960s bob wasn’t all about the sex kitten, particularly when it came to American royalty. From 1961, Jacqueline Kennedy changed the way working mothers approached their wardrobe and beauty cupboards. In fact, one could argue that she placed fashion on the map of American politics, as far as the First Lady is concerned. Despite changes in the length of her hair and precisely where she parted it, over the years the wind-swept, outwardly flicking version of Kennedy Onassis’ hairstyle remains her most iconic.

One last person: the 1960s can’t be written about without a mention of Twiggy. While hair lengths now provide little in the way of shock factor, the length of her Twiggy’s hair was revolutionary for the time. a super short bob, well above the ears, with side-swept fringe that was monitored with a bobby pin. This Mod hairstyle became a sensation, especially popular amongst schoolgirls for its prim-and-proper, neat look. However, it was often shunned for being androgynous and too bold.

The ‘60s had more hairstyles than what can be counted on fingers, and all the Mod bob in 2012 borrows heavily from the three previously covered hairstyles. From Bardot we get the volume, from Jackie O the shape, and from Twiggy the parting and the Mod vibe.

If you’re looking for the perfect example of how the Mod bob revival should be worn and styled then you need look no further than the Arizona Muse and Daphne Groeneveld 60s inspired photo shoot for issue 35 of Self Service magazine. Much hyped, it’s Muse who rocks the hairstyle and whose model-of-the-moment qualities have propelled it into 2012.

Via: Fashionising

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