Front & Center.(hair trends)

Front & Center

Extreme lefts and far rights suit the political pundits just fine. When it comes to hair, the middle way is an enlightened choice.

For a somewhat schlocky movie, Love Story was surprisingly influential, especially on women's hair. Actress Ali MacGraw's long, straight, center-parted style inspired untold female moviegoers to switch their parts -- immediately after drying their eyes. Never mind that MacGraw was one of the few women on the planet who actually looked good with an evenly divided, rod-straight mane. Thirty years later, hairstylists are again shifting parts to the center. But they've added a modern twist to the Bohemian style that makes it much more flattering. Gone is the all-one-length, painfully straightened curtain that appears plastered to the cheeks. In its place are gradual layers in front with just a slight lift at the roots. "The look is prettier when you keep your natural texture," says River Lloyd, hairstylist at Peter Coppola Salon in New York City. Blow-drying the hair back or forward and then parting it, rather than parting the hair and aiming the blow dryer directly down on the middle, makes it soft rather than severe. The happy ending is a modern-day love story -- without the weepy score.

Cara Birnbaum

Front & Center

UP the middle

Brushed straight back, a disheveled chignon or ponytail is sexy, especially when balanced with a sleek middle part. But "a middle part has a way of magnifying any mistakes, so this is the time to take a few extra minutes to get the style right," hairstylist Mark Garrison says. * Anchored snugly at the nape of the neck, a bun or ponytail with a center part has a "simple, elegant, almost flamenco feel to it," says hairstylist Roy Teeluck. To keep the hair looking sleek and controlled, comb a few drops of shine serum and light gel through it. If hair is layered in front, soften the look by letting the pieces fall out (coil them around a large curling iron first). * A high updo secured near the crown is "formal and mod -- very '60s," says Garrison, who recommends this middle-part style to those with round faces. "It gives [the face] an overall lift." Washed-satin dress with cotton gauze slip by Louis Vuitton. Makeup colors: Sandstone eye shadow, Gold Flash eyeliner, Not So Nude blush, and Tickled Pink lip gloss by Revlon. These pages: Hair, Damien Boissinot; makeup, Virginia Young. Fashion editor: Siobhan Zetumer. Details, see Credits page.