- Women's cut
- Short
- Clean & classic
- Edgy
Stacked / inverted bob
A short, classic and edgy women's cut with 6–10 in (15–25.5 cm) on top, finished with a tapered neckline.
Also asked for as: inverted bob, a-line bob, graduated bob, angled bob, stacked bob haircut
- Top
- 6–10 in (15–25.5 cm)
- Best on
- 1A–2B
- Recut
- 5–7 wks
- Styling
- 10 min
Traditionally suggested for
Round faces (angled lines lengthen), crown thinning, fine hair, a long neck.
Stylist convention
Who it fits
Hair comes first: these decide whether the shape can hold.
- Best on 1A–2B hair (straight and wavy).Hair physics
- Low to medium density.Hair physics
- Holds up through a Norwood 3 hairline.Barber consensus
- Scores higher if you have fine hair.Hair physics
- Scores higher if you have low-density hair.Hair physics
Who should skip it
Any one of these moves it down your list, or off it.
- 2C–4C hair (wavy, curly and coily): the shape depends on a texture it can't hold, so we rule it out.Hair physics
- A hairline past Norwood 3: at stage 4 it's shown with a caveat; beyond that we hide it.Barber consensus
- Helmets, hats or daily swimming: they flatten the volume the shape needs.Hair physics
- A humid climate with wavy or curly hair: it needs a blowout to hold.Hair physics
- Less than 10 minutes a day for styling: it needs 10 min a day.Your preference
- Scores lower if you have coarse hair.Hair physics
Barbers also flag: Long faces (keep the front at chin length); coarse curly hair puffs out.
What to tell your barber
The catalog spec, in barber terms. Your own card adjusts it: part side from your crown whorl, curl notes for your texture, and a QR code your barber can open.
Read this to your barber
“Graduated stacked nape; front longer at chin to collarbone; angle to taste.”
- Sides
- Graduated, with a stacked nape
- Top
- 6–10 in (15–25.5 cm)
- Neckline
- Tapered (fades out naturally)
- Technique
- Graduation at the nape; front left longer (chin to collarbone)
- Product
- Volumising mousse; round-brush dry
- Recut
- Every 5–7 weeks
Upkeep and yearly cost
Priced at $30 a cut. Your results use your own local price.
- Trim every
- 5–7 weeks
- Per year
- 7–10 cuts a year, about $210–$300 at $30 a cut
- Daily styling
- 10 min a day
- Product
- Light product
- Heat tools
- Not needed
Proportions, by face shape
Where the stacked / inverted bob places in our engine’s geometry-only top 10 for a textbook face of each shape: a top-3 pick for round. Proportions are the smallest part of a real score; your hair counts for more.
Related cuts
- Classic pixieShort · 1A–2B, 4A–4C
- Blunt chin bobShort · 1A–2A
- French bob with bangsShort · 1B–2B
- Long pixie / bixieShort · 1A–2C
See the stacked / inverted bob on your own face before you sit down.
Free analysis first. Previews only change your hair, and if one doesn’t look like you, the redo is free.
Check it on my face