The Italian Cut Hairstyle Craze of 1953

A hit amongst barbers and brunettes –

1950s hairstyle report for Glamourdaze

1953-The-Italian-Cut-Hairstyle-Craze
Variations of the cut by hairdresser Marcel. From left to right – The Botticelli, Bellini and Michelangelo ( with streaks)

When the stars of Italian movies began sporting short, shaggy haircuts that looked – well – messy but undeniably chic and interesting, they touched off a ground swell of imitative barbering that this summer is equalling if not surpassing the poodle hair cut mania of 1952.

1953-The-Italian-Cut-Hairstyle-Craze3

The uniformly short, curly poodle looked much the same on everybody but especially favoured blondes like Lucille Ball.

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Model Ivy Nicholson ( left)

 

However the new Italian cut hairstyle can be varied to suit individual faces ( see top image), and because of it Latin look, it favours brunettes, bringing them back to a position in popular beauty standards that they had lost to bleaches.

The Italian Haircut in the Movies

Gina-Lollobrigida---Italian-haircut

Gina Lollobrigida in her first appearance in an English language film this year is John Hustons Beat the Devil. She is particularly striking with her Elfin like Italian cut hairstyle.

Audrey Hepburn----the-Italian-haircut-of-1953

In this years sure to be a smash movie Roman Holiday, due for release in August, you will see Audrey Hepburn famously getting her long hair cropped to a short pixie cut, a less curly version of the Poodle cut and another style of Italian cut . It is sure to create waves – especially amongst brunettes!

Quintet-of-Italian-haircuts---1953---Enrico-Caruso
Quintet-of-Italian-haircuts—1953—Enrico-Caruso

The Italian cut is shaggy, tousled in appearance, but sculptured, with deep waves on the crown, spit curls framing the forehead and cheeks, and a carefully ragged nape.

Italian-haircuts---1953---Enrico-Caruso

Like last years poodle cut, this haircut required constant clipping. Its origin draws inspiration from the sculptured locks of rich ladies who turned faces in Ancient Rome.

Gloria-De-Haven--Italian haircut by Enrico Caruso - Yale Joel
Gloria-De-Haven–Italian haircut by Enrico Caruso – Yale Joel

The fashionable New York hair salons of Enrico Caruso and the newly opened Marcel are spitting out the new Latin cuts on a veritable assembly line.

That’s all !

Text © Glamourdaze 2015
original report Life Magazine July 1953

Free – Ten 50s Hollywood Hairstyles How to do – booklet

10-HOLLYWOOD-HAIRSTYLES---1952-Booklet-by-Arlene-Dahl-cover

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