25 Classic Vintage Hairstyles For Women

Looking to add timeless elegance to your modern look?

Vintage hairstyles offer the perfect blend of nostalgia and sophistication, with decades of iconic styles to inspire your next transformation.

From the flapper waves of the 1920s to the voluminous bouffant of the 1960s, these 25 classic vintage hairstyles will help you channel your favorite era while adding distinctive character to your appearance.

Discover how to bring these timeless looks into the present with contemporary techniques and styling approaches.

1: Classic Victory Rolls

Channel 1940s glamour with this iconic style featuring large, voluminous rolls positioned at the front hairline.

These dramatic swirls create a striking frame for your face while showcasing your vintage sensibilities.

You’ll need strong-hold products and plenty of bobby pins to achieve this structured look.

Begin by creating a deep side part, then roll large sections of hair away from your face, securing each roll firmly at the base.

Complete the authentic look by smoothing the back and sides, either leaving length loose at the nape or creating a simple low bun for maximum 1940s authenticity.

2: The Pageboy Bob

Embrace the sophisticated simplicity of this shoulder-skimming bob featuring a curved under-curl that uniformly turns under at the ends.

This sleek 1950s style offers elegance with practical length.

You’ll achieve this polished look by blow-drying with a large round brush, focusing on creating that signature inward curl at the ends.

The curved shape should frame your jawline smoothly while maintaining volume at the crown.

Add a deep side part for extra vintage appeal, smoothing the top for that characteristic sleek appearance that defined mid-century sophistication.

3: Perfect Pin Curls

Create defined, springy curls with this meticulous setting technique popular from the 1920s through the 1950s.

Pin curls offer versatility once brushed out, forming the foundation for numerous vintage styles.

You’ll need to wrap small sections of damp hair around your finger, creating flat spirals that you pin against your head.

Allow these to dry completely—traditionally overnight—before carefully removing the pins.

Brush through gently for soft waves, or leave more defined for bouncy ringlets, depending on your preferred era and final style destination.

4: Gibson Girl Updo

Channel turn-of-the-century elegance with this voluminous updo featuring a characteristic poufy silhouette.

This Edwardian-era style creates dramatic height at the crown while maintaining feminine softness.

You’ll want to create significant volume at your crown—historically achieved with hair rats (padding) but now possible with teasing and volumizing products.

Pull your length up and forward before securing in a loose, rounded arrangement.

Leave wisps around your hairline for that characteristic softness that balanced the dramatic height of this romantic, pre-flapper era style.

5: Finger Waves

Master the sculptural elegance of these S-shaped waves that defined 1920s and early 1930s hairstyling.

This sleek, close-to-the-head technique creates dramatic, glossy waves with architectural precision.

You’ll achieve this sophisticated look by applying setting lotion to damp hair, then using your fingers and a fine-tooth comb to mold alternating waves across your head. Patience is essential for creating the distinct ridges.

Allow to dry completely under a hood dryer or overnight before gently removing clips for that perfect Jazz Age sophistication that works beautifully on both short and longer bobs.

6: Rockabilly Bandana Roll

Add retro flair with this 1950s-inspired style featuring a colorful bandana rolled and tied at the top of your head with your hair styled in victory rolls or curls.

This practical yet stylish look epitomizes mid-century casual wear.

You’ll begin by folding your bandana into a wide strip, positioning it around your hairline, and tying it at the top of your head with the knot visible.

The bandana acts as both decoration and a practical headband.

Style the rest of your hair in complementary vintage curls or rolls, allowing the bandana to serve as the central visual element of this rockabilly classic.

7: Classic Hollywood Waves

Embrace silver-screen glamour with these smooth, S-shaped waves featuring a deep side part and glossy finish.

This elegant 1930s and 1940s style remains a red-carpet favorite for its timeless sophistication.

You’ll create this look by setting your hair with a curling iron, working in horizontal sections and curling all in the same direction.

After cooling, gently brush through to transform separate curls into flowing waves.

Finish with a shine-enhancing spray to capture that characteristic silver-screen luminosity that made this style a signature for stars from Veronica Lake to Rita Hayworth.

8: The Beehive

Add dramatic height with this 1960s statement style featuring substantial teasing at the crown to create a conical, hive-like shape.

This architectural style creates striking vertical volume while keeping the sides sleek.

You’ll need significant backcombing at your crown to achieve the characteristic height.

Begin by sectioning the top portion of your hair, thoroughly teasing the underside before smoothing the visible surface.

Finish by wrapping the remaining length around the base of your beehive and securing with pins, or leave it hanging for a half-up variation popularized by Brigitte Bardot.

9: The Flipped Bob

Channel 1960s sophistication with this chin-length bob featuring ends that flip upward away from the face.

This structured yet playful style offers vintage charm with practical length.

You’ll achieve this distinctive flip by blow-drying with a round brush, focusing on creating that signature outward curl at the ends—the exact opposite of the 1950s pageboy.

The curved shape should frame your jawline while maintaining volume at the crown.

Add a slight side part and smoothing serum for that characteristic sleek appearance that defined 1960s sophistication from Jackie Kennedy to Mary Tyler Moore.

10: Bouffant Flip

Combine volume and movement with this 1960s style featuring significant height at the crown with flipped ends.

This versatile look offers the perfect balance of structured and playful elements.

You’ll create maximum impact by teasing the crown section thoroughly before smoothing the surface hair.

The characteristic height should taper gracefully into the lower sections, maintaining an elegant silhouette.

Finish by curling the ends outward with a round brush or curling iron for that signature flip that completes this quintessential 1960s style popularized by everyone from the Supremes to First Lady Jackie Kennedy.

11: Victory Roll Bangs

Modernize the classic victory roll by focusing the technique solely on your fringe area.

This adaptable style offers vintage flair while maintaining contemporary versatility through the rest of your hair.

You’ll achieve this look by sectioning off your fringe, then rolling it upward and away from your face to create that characteristic victory roll shape.

Secure firmly with pins, ensuring the roll sits smoothly at your hairline.

Style the rest of your hair as desired—from loose waves to a simple ponytail—allowing the victory roll fringe to serve as the central vintage element in an otherwise modern look.

12: Bumper Bangs

Embrace 1950s rockabilly style with these dramatically rolled bangs that create a rounded “bumper” shape across your forehead.

This statement fringe adds instant vintage character to any hairstyle.

You’ll need to roll your fringe section backward using a round brush while blow-drying, creating a smooth, cylindrical shape.

The roll should sit high on your forehead with substantial volume.

Secure with strong-hold hairspray, pairing your bumper bangs with complementary styles like a high ponytail or victory rolls for authentic rockabilly appeal or with modern styling for an eclectic mix.

13: The Middy Cut

Revive this versatile 1950s cut featuring multiple layers cut in a U-shape that creates natural curl and volume.

This practical style serves as the perfect foundation for numerous vintage setting techniques.

You’ll appreciate how this strategically layered cut creates natural movement when set in pin curls or rollers.

The characteristic U-shape layers allow for everything from tight curls to smooth waves depending on your setting method.

Ask your stylist for graduated layers that form a U-shape pattern when your hair is pulled forward—shorter near your face and gradually longer toward the back—creating the perfect canvas for authentic 1950s styles.

14: Rosie the Riveter Roll

Channel 1940s workwear practicality with this updo featuring hair wrapped around a colorful scarf or bandana.

This functional yet stylish look symbolizes the working women of the WWII era.

You’ll begin with a square scarf folded into a wide strip, positioned at your hairline with the ends at the top of your head.

Create a front roll by wrapping your hair around the scarf, tucking ends underneath.

Secure with pins, allowing the knotted scarf ends to show at the top, creating that iconic silhouette that has become a feminist symbol while offering a practical vintage style for modern occasions.

15: The Pompadour

Add dramatic height and structure with this style featuring significant volume swept upward and back from your forehead.

Made famous by men in the 1950s, women’s pompadours offer feminine vintage flair.

You’ll create this striking look by backcombing the crown section before smoothing the surface hair upward and backward, creating that characteristic wave that defines the front silhouette.

Secure the height with strong-hold products, styling the back and sides sleekly to maintain the classic proportions that make this rockabilly standard so visually impactful.

16: Dorothy Dandridge Curls

Embrace soft, elegant definition with these carefully styled curls pinned close to the head in a sophisticated arrangement.

This refined 1950s style offers timeless glamour with structured femininity.

You’ll achieve this look by setting your hair with pin curls or small rollers, focusing on creating uniform curl throughout.

Once set, gently brush through before strategically pinning curls into a flattering frame around your face.

This versatile technique allows for personalization while maintaining the characteristic elegance that made it a signature for stars like Dorothy Dandridge and Elizabeth Taylor during Hollywood’s golden era.

17: The Rachel Haircut

Channel 1990s nostalgia with this layered cut featuring face-framing layers and distinctive “chunky” highlights.

While more recent than other styles listed, this iconic 90s look has earned its vintage status.

You’ll want those signature face-framing layers starting at chin length with substantial internal layering throughout to create the movement and volume that defined this Friends-inspired phenomenon.

Style with a round brush while blow-drying, focusing on turning those distinctive layers outward and away from your face for that quintessential 90s bounce and movement.

18: The Pixie Cut

Embrace the revolutionary shortness of this 1960s style made famous by Twiggy and Mia Farrow.

This cropped cut offers dramatic simplicity with its close-to-the-head silhouette and minimal length.

You’ll make a statement with this boldly short style that features longer top sections with closely cropped sides and back.

The top length allows for some styling versatility despite the overall shortness.

Ask your stylist for textured cutting techniques that create piece-y definition rather than sleekness, capturing the mod-era aesthetic that made this style so groundbreaking in its time.

19: The Farrah Fawcett

Channel 1970s glamour with these distinctive, feathered layers featuring a center part and wings that frame the face.

This voluminous style creates movement through strategic layering and blow-drying techniques.

You’ll achieve this iconic look by asking for long layers concentrated around your face, then blow-drying with a large round brush to create that characteristic outward flip.

The layers should curve away from your face in a feathered pattern.

Finish with a light-hold hairspray that allows for the movement and bounce that defined this Charlie’s Angels-inspired phenomenon that dominated an entire decade.

20: The Flapper Bob

Embrace 1920s rebellion with this sharply geometric bob cut just below the ears with or without straight-across bangs.

This sleek style symbolized women’s liberation through its practical shortness.

You’ll capture authentic Jazz Age style with this precisely cut bob, which should feature minimal layering and maximum precision.

The sharp lines create a distinctive frame around your face.

Style sleekly for traditional flapper appeal, or add finger waves at the front for extra 1920s authenticity that references stars like Louise Brooks who defined the era’s distinctive look.

21: Audrey Hepburn Pixie

Channel Audrey’s elegance with this sophisticated pixie featuring a longer top with micro-bangs.

This feminine interpretation of short hair offers timeless appeal with practical length.

You’ll want to maintain enough length on top to create softness while keeping the sides and back closer-cropped for that distinctive 1950s pixie silhouette.

The micro-bangs should sit high on your forehead for authentic Hepburn appeal.

Style with lightweight products that create definition without stiffness, allowing for the natural movement that made this look so revolutionary yet feminine in its time.

22: The French Pleat

Add sophisticated elegance with this sleek updo featuring hair smoothly rolled from both sides toward the center back of the head.

This timeless style offers refined vintage appeal for formal occasions.

You’ll create this architectural look by smoothing your hair back, rolling from each side toward the center, creating a vertical roll that runs up the back of your head. Secure with pins inserted horizontally for maximum hold.

Finish with a light mist of shine spray for that characteristic elegance that has made this style a favorite from 1950s cocktail parties to modern wedding attendants.

23: The Veronica Lake Peekaboo

Create sultry mystery with this glamorous style featuring long waves with one side dramatically sweeping across your face.

This 1940s signature look offers timeless allure with its asymmetrical approach.

You’ll achieve this classic Hollywood style by creating a deep side part, then setting your hair in barrel curls that form S-shaped waves when brushed out.

The distinctive feature is the cascade of hair that partially covers one eye.

Apply setting lotion before styling for lasting hold, finishing with a light-hold hairspray that maintains the characteristic movement that made this look so hypnotically appealing on silver screen sirens.

24: The Marilyn Monroe

Channel bombshell glamour with these voluminous platinum curls featuring soft waves and maximum feminine appeal.

This iconic 1950s style offers timeless allure with its deliberately feminine approach.

You’ll create this head-turning look by setting your hair in medium-sized rollers, focusing on creating uniform curl throughout with extra volume at the crown.

Once set, brush through gently for soft waves rather than defined curls.

Consider lightening your shade for authentic Monroe platinum, though the set works beautifully across hair colors while maintaining that characteristic soft volume that defined mid-century feminine appeal.

25: The Psychedelic Flip

Embrace late 1960s experimentation with this playful style featuring dramatically flipped ends and substantial volume.

This youthful look offers vintage character with its deliberately exaggerated silhouette.

You’ll achieve this mod-inspired style by creating significant volume at your crown, then using a large-barrel curling iron to create that characteristic outward flip at the ends.

The contrast between sleek upper sections and flipped ends creates the distinctive shape.

Complete the look with a headband or scarf positioned toward the front of your crown, capturing that late 60s aesthetic that bridged sophisticated bouffants with the approaching freedom of 1970s styles.

Conclusion

Whether you prefer the sleek sophistication of 1920s finger waves or the voluminous drama of 1960s bouffants, these timeless vintage styles offer endless inspiration.

Remember, authentic vintage hair combines proper technique, appropriate products, and the confidence to carry these classic looks into contemporary life!