Victoria Beckham is the woman who made the sharp, chic bob her beauty signature back in the 90s, and it seems she’s still drawn to the shorter side. The beauty icon, 52, has unveiled a stunning new hair and makeup transformation, and it’s a style that’s so flattering for mature, fine hair.
In Instagram posts to promote her new eyewear collection, Victoria is seen showcasing not one but two beauty makeovers. First, there’s the hair. Her latest shoot shows her hair several inches shorter, sitting at a trending collarbone bob length – loved by experts for its ageless, instant-thickening effect.
‘The collarbone bob is a slightly longer bob that sits around the shoulder or collarbone and it’s fantastic for fine hair – it can make it look and feel much fuller,’ says Philipp Haug, co-founder of Haug London Haus.
As well as this new clavicle-skimming length, Victoria’s hair appears significantly darker, with an overall richer brunette tone and her lighter pieces dialled down.
It’s quite the switch-up for Victoria, who’s been going longer and blonder all year. She gave us an elevated reworking of her WAG era over summer as she showed off lighter, flowing lengths during the World Cup.
However, the bob bandwagon keeps on rolling through the beauty landscape, so it felt almost inevitable that Victoria would remind the world who does it best.
‘Victoria looks incredible here,’ says Jason Collier, celebrity hairstylist and Key Opinion Leader at Jerome Russell Bblonde. ‘The combination of the deeper brunette shade, shorter length and more dramatic makeup gives her a completely different feel. It’s much more polished and sophisticated, but there’s also something quite fresh and modern about it.’
He adds: ‘The “clavi cut” is that perfect in-between length – shorter than the longer styles we’ve seen Victoria wearing recently, but still long enough to have movement and versatility.’
Before we all get overexcited, it does seem as if it’s just for a photoshoot, since her most recent Instagram story shows VB’s longer hair still in situ, but we do think she should make a real-life swap to the clavicle cut.
Victoria’s hairstyle is accompanied by a dramatic makeup look, which overwrites Victoria’s usual ‘dark eyes and nude lips’ combination for autumn. Gloss has been swapped for a sharply-defined satin lip in a deep berry shade. This finish avoids being too matte, for a youthful, non-drying effect. It’s strong yet soft and proves that a dramatic lip can look incredibly chic and flattering.
Her eyes remain softly pencilled all around, ensuring they pop against her dark-rimmed glasses. Specs appeal? Absolutely.
‘This is where the shorter, darker hair really comes into its own,’ says Jason. ‘The deeper brunette creates a stronger frame around the face, so it works beautifully with Victoria’s smokey, defined eye and glossy nude lip.’
Why is the collarbone bob so flattering?
Victoria always looks far younger than her years but her latest hair look is especially fresh and modern, and it’s a length that works brilliantly for mid-life women, according to experts.
‘It’s fantastic for finer hair because you can introduce some layers to create volume and movement without losing the overall shape,’ says Philipp. ‘When you style it with a soft curl or wave, it gives the hair lots of body, which can make finer hair look and feel much fuller.’
See everyone from Susanna Reid to Suranne Jones as further great examples.
How does this work on Victoria?
The collarbone bob definitely has volumising benefits for Victoria, says Jason. ‘Length can make a huge difference to how thick hair appears. When hair gets longer, the weight can pull it down and make the ends look finer, particularly if you have naturally fine hair or any breakage through the lengths.’
‘Taking Victoria’s hair up to the clavicle creates a much stronger, fuller-looking perimeter. You’re essentially removing those longer, wispy ends and concentrating the visual weight around one area, which can make the hair appear denser. Combined with the darker colour, which gives the hair more depth and contrast, it creates a much richer, fuller-looking finish than a very long, lightened style.'
Is it a good length for anyone worried about a softening jawline or neckline?
‘Absolutely,’ says Philipp. ‘If you feel a little insecure about showing too much of your neck, this is a really flattering length. Because you’ve still got that movement and texture around the shoulders and face, the focus is drawn to the hair rather than putting too much emphasis on the neck or facial features. It gives you the freshness of a bob without feeling as exposed as you might with a shorter cut.’
How do I make a collarbone bob look modern?
Victoria’s latest Instagram look is a brilliant example of how to make the clavicle cut cool. ‘I wouldn’t blow-dry a collarbone bob with too much volume at the crown,’ says Philipp. ‘I think it looks much fresher when it’s a little flatter on top, with movement and texture through the sides and lengths.’
