I Just Got Penélope Cruz Bangs, and I've Never Received so Many Compliments on a Winter Haircut

Of all the hairstyles that I’ve considered (and actually committed to)—a French bob, highlights, etc.—the one I never thought I’d actually go through with is bangs. But something changed inside of me when I began preparing for an autumnal jaunt to Paris, France, where the haircuts are chic and always a step ahead of the American trend cycle. Call it selective attention, but I soon began noticing this chic, wispy shear everywhere I turned; from ‘60s-inspired Bardot fringe to dreamy curtain bangs. Sure, bangs were irrefutably one of the hottest fall hair trends of 2025, but there was something about my muse’s specific style that sang to me like a siren.

As a Y2K baby, I grew up idolizing the chic women whose distinct '90s hairstyles became synonymous with their very beings. (Think: Jennifer Aniston’s “Rachel” haircut, the “Halle Berry” pixie.) However, after being told that I resembled a young Penélope Cruz in my early teen years (no, I don’t believe it; yes, I still hold onto that compliment dearly), I began looking to the Spanish actress for aesthetic inspiration as I honed my personal style. After impulsively booking a haircut with celebrity hairstylist Xavier Velasquez, the mastermind behind Scarlett Johansson’s and AnnaSophia Robb’s manes, I gathered my inspiration photos into a mood board. Nearly every shot was of Cruz with her piecey, tousled, and effortlessly chic bangs from the 2001 film Vanilla Sky—and the stylist wasn’t surprised in the slightest to see my Cruz-shrine of a hairspo board.

What are Penélope Cruz Bangs?

“There is a carefree vibe about the Penélope references that makes it a statement, but also doesn’t take itself too seriously—like second-day hair that always feels elevated,” Velasquez tells Who What Wear. As the name describes, this wispy, side-sweeping style is inspired by Cruz’s romantic, cool-girl fringe from the early aughts. It’s characterized by curtain bangs along the perimeter of the face and wispy fringe across the center, with the ability to be styled straight across or parted down the middle. The rest of the hair is left long, with scattered, lengthy layers that add movement and boost the appearance of thickness.

In effortless movie star fashion, the length of the hair is perfectly unpolished, with tousled ends that add a lived-in feel. The result is a look that my friends haven't been able to stop complimenting—even WWW senior beauty editor Jamie Schneider stopped to tell me I "look famous" after getting this brow-skimming chop.

Why are Penélope Cruz Bangs Trending Right Now?

“Bangs are trending in a big way, from mega pop stars like Taylor [Swift] and Sabrina Carpenter on world tours to Dakota Johnson wearing her iconic bangs in this year’s Materialists,” Velasquez explains. Even Saturday Night Live got the message when Glen Powell led a sketch titled "Bob Army," where the "bangs" and "bob" battled it out for style domination. (The bobs won, but just for now…)

Swift’s and Johnson’s styles swoop more dramatically across the forehead than Carpenter’s ‘70s-inspired fringe, but Velasquez says this Cruz-referenced style is a symbiosis of both. He describes this timeless style as a cross between “a full bang and a curtain bang,” with a shorter drop in the center and “drama [around] the eyebrows.” If your interest is piqued, give your hairstylist that exact recipe to replicate this vintage-inspired look.

The Process

Before my visit, I’d grown my hair from a chin-skimming Italian bob to free-falling, wavy locks that fell to my chest. Wanting to sustain the length I’d grown while lifting away dead weight, Velasquez scattered delicate, long layers throughout my hair for extra movement.

Then, he separated my hair into a front and back section, starting nearly an inch away from my hairline. He kept my natural part in mind—working with the off-center split of my hair to help this style fall naturally day after day. Cruz’s style circa ‘01 was often worn parted down the center, but you by no means have to force a center part to make it work.

From there, Velasquez twisted the front pieces between his fingers and snipped them to a length that landed near the tips of my ears. After letting the newly sheared fringe fall, he began shaping the aforementioned center drop and curtain bang “drama.” The shortest section is the innermost, where the fringe still falls past my brows when straightened, but gingerly masks them when styled swooped to the side, as pictured below.

More Cool-Girl Bangs Inspiration

Emily Ratajkowski's Side-Parted Bangs

If the model and author couldn't already pass for Cruz's lookalike, she's a near mirror image with her side-parted, swooping curtain bangs. On days when hair in your eyes feels a bit too much, sweep it towards your temples for a sweet, face-framing look like Emily Ratajkowski's above.

Ciara's Long, Wispy Fringe

I definitely plan to style my fringe like Ciara's once it grows out a bit. Play with length to achieve this fluttery fringe, letting some float in front of your eyes, and others fall to the side. You can achieve this look by blowing out your bangs at a front angle and treating the ends with a tiny amount of hair serum to make a few sections cling to one another.

Suki Waterhouse's Bardot Bangs

Suki Waterhouse's shaggy curtain bangs are the stuff of Bardot-hair dreams. Ask your stylist for thick curtain bangs that taper towards the eyes ever so slightly in the center. This look is more about length and texture than clean-cut, eye-lining structure.

How to Style

To infuse the most volume and hydration into my strands, I prepped and primed my mane with Virtue Labs’ Full Shampoo and its matching conditioner. My naturally limp hair tends to hang heavy, so volumizing shampoo was a must to get Cruz-level lift at the crown of my head and throughout the length of my strands.

In addition to volume-boosting shampoos and conditioners, Velasquez recommends adding a few other products to your cart to make the most of your new ‘do. Dry shampoo is a must in the hairstylist’s book, and I would have to agree. Who What Wear editors rated Ouai’s Super Dry Shampoo as the best they tried in 2025, especially for second and third-day hair.

Bangs are an everyday styling commitment, so be prepared to whip out a round brush and hair dryer (or the Shark FlexStyle, if you’re like me) before every outing. However, Velasquez says that incorporating a “restyling” product into this process will help preserve your style and give deflated locks new life. His personal recommendation? The Virtue Volumizing Primer, which offers a dimensional boost from the roots and helps prolong your effortless-looking fringe.

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