(Image credit: @
lefevrediary
; @
sukiwaterhouse
; @
caradelevingne
)
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What is the wolf cut?
Wolf Cut Style Inspiration in 2026
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It's no secret that beauty's most influential trends, no matter how polarizing, tend to be resurrected after 20-odd years. Think
crimped waves
(hey,
Wuthering Heights–
era Margot Robbie
),
frosted Y2K lids and lips
, and even—gasp!—
2016 makeup
. More than any other category, however, hair seems to be the most cyclical. Case in point: mullets, shags, and the celeb-worn love child of both, the wolf cut. We've seen it on celebs like
Miley Cyrus
,
Keke Palmer
, and
Cara Delevingne
, and it continues to be a popular style for anyone who prefers
androgynous hairstyles
or simply wants to freshen up their strands. Today, the wolf cut isn't merely a trend. It's cementing itself as a classic.
We watched in awe as this shaggy shear regained popularity from 2022 to 2024, and though it's no longer making headlines as a trailblazing new look, it's still alive and well in salons and on the street. Celebrity hairstylist and salon founder
Benjamin Mohapi
, who actually gave
Billie Eilish
her iconic cut, says the wolf is "just another name for a shape that's been around since the late '60s and early '70s." This isn't the style's first rodeo. We just love to rebrand things. "Over the years, it's been called the coupe sauvage, the Klute, and the shag, but they're all rooted in the same concept," he explains.
(Image credit: @
billieeilish
)
"Because it's a shape that works well on a lot of people, it naturally sticks around," Mohapi adds. "But as trends evolve, the shape needs to evolve too." Keep reading to learn more about this new classic.
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What is the wolf cut?
(Image credit: @
sukiwaterhouse
)
"The wolf cut is a hybrid between a shag and a mullet, combining the shag's heavy, choppy layers with the longer length and shape of a mullet in the back," says
Christine Bellemare
, a Boston-based hairstylist and the cofounder of the salon
Maven, A Collect
. It's traditionally marked by extreme layers that offer tousled texture throughout the crown and around the face, plus a smattering of bangs, but modern interpretations are a bit softer and more intentional.
Mohapi explains that "texture and flippy, tapered ends" were the mode du jour when the style spiked between '22 and '24. "These days, we're moving toward more solid-looking shapes with less tapered ends and less flicky movement," he says. The stylist references The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards and Danish model Freja Beha Erichsen circa 2010; we think of
Suki Waterhouse's
long, flowy version and
Jenna Ortega's
choppy cut. "People are either growing the shape out for a bouncier '80s feel or cutting it back into a boxier '90s Britpop version," he explains. "Both feel super cool and are a great modern take on the concept."
(Image credit: Michael Putland/Getty Images)
But there are so many more shaggy cuts to reference—from curly crops to rock-inspired texture and fringy bangs. Keep scrolling for the images you'll soon be showing your hairstylist.
Wolf Cut Style Inspiration in 2026
The Suki Shag
(Image credit: @
sukiwaterhouse
)
Waterhouse's long, dreamy '70s-inspired wolf cut is the stuff rock-star hair is made of. "On longer hair, the layers don't have to feel overly drastic," says Bellemare. "It's really more about placing them slightly shorter than you normally would but in a very soft, diffused way." She also points out this cut is a great choice for summer "because it allows natural texture and curls to cascade more organically" instead of the heaviness that can happen with blunt cuts.
Curly Wolf
(Image credit: @
veroocampos
)
Curly textures look especially amazing with this fringy cut. Take content creator
Veronica Campos's
curly wolf cut, for example. The hair is clipped short above her forehead and cascades longer past her ears into long, voluminous spirals. Not only does this zhuzhed-up style look freer and more effortless than the wolf cuts of yore, but we also love that it celebrates natural texture.
Effortless Shag
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Mohapi spotlights Beha Erichsen's shaggy crop circa 2010 as his North Star of wolf cut references in modern day. "[It] feels like a more modern take, even though it's obviously a retro reworking of a classic cut," he explains. "While the long, flicky, glassy blowouts are very in right now, those flicky ends don't translate as well on shorter styles and can read a bit dated. A more solid shape with texture feels like a fresher, more modern entry point."
Wavy Bangs
(Image credit: @
caradelevingne
)
Delevingne has always been on our "hair goals" board, but this recent post is the one we're sending to our hairstylists. Her swooping bangs embrace the natural bends of her hair texture before giving way to her beach

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Source: https://www.whowhatwear.com/beauty/hair/wolf-cut-hairstyles