The Step Mullet Is the Next Big Hair Trend

A few years ago, I cut my hair in a drastically asymmetrical style. One side was chopped off in a bob, while the other side was about 6 inches longer. Simply put, I had the urge to do something different and daring with my hair that defied the prevalent hair trends at the time. People were mostly aghast, questioning if my hairdresser had made a mistake (I can’t imagine a hairdresser so inept that they’d forget to cut one side of my hair on purpose). But alas, I loved it. When I straightened my hair it looked avant-garde and arresting. Yet, when I kept it curly (its natural form) it looked less severe and more casual.

Which brings me to the latest daring hair trend: the step mullet. Like steps on a staircase, the hairstyle features hair cut at different, well-defined, tiers. Sometimes, it’s a bob and essentially a shorter bob as a substitute for bangs. And sometimes, it’s three tiers: bangs, short bob, long bob. The look has been spotted on trendsetters such as influencer Reese Blutstein and DJ Yulia. If you, like I, have the urge to cut your hair in an interesting style that’s a bit off the grid, keep reading.

The signature spot to get the step mullet look is at Vacancy Project in New York. Their Instagram page is chock full of the hairstyle and first alerted us to the trend. “It's very interesting because mostly hair trends come from 60-80s but I feel like Step Mullet is a 00's thing,” Masami Hosono, the Creative Director at Vacancy Project, tells Teen Vogue. “I really think it comes from people who cut their own hair...Kind of accident based, DIY, just chopped your step with kitchen scissors,” she continues. Masami moved to New York City in 2012 from Tokyo and opened Vacancy Project in 2016 as a gender-neutral hair salon. INTO IT!!!

Who are the step mullet hair pioneers? “I often see my clients bring pictures of Mick Jagger...or Charlee Fraser's face frame part,” Masami says. She tracks the step mullet back to the huge mullet trend that we saw in the spring. The step mullet being the logical (and welcome) evolution.

Who’s the best candidate for the look? Masami advises that, “straight hair is best to make sharp line especially but curly hair is also cute.” With curly hair, it looks a bit more casual, almost like long side bangs. But when bone straight, it looks very deliberate and cool. We’ve seen Reese wear her cut both ways, and we’re equal fans of both. According to Masami, the most important thing with this cut is “the balance between length/bangs/and steps.”

Ok! We’re in! Will you be taking the leap to get a step mullet? Tag us @tvstyle if you do!