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9 Iconic Dorothy Hamill Haircut Styles Throughout the Years

aida turner

Published by Aida Turner

Fact checked by Annie

Key takeaways:

  • Dorothy Hamill haircut is characterized by short blonde hair in a bob, pixie, or wedge, with layered style and full bangs.
  • Dorothy Hamill made the Yusuke Suga style popular as she was seen wearing it during the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, in 1976, where she won Olympic gold.
  • This style complements any face shape and hair type; however, in Hamill’s case, it was a perfect balance for her diamond-shaped face and thick straight strands of hair.
  • It’s easy to replicate and style: (1) all you need is to cut your hair in pixie, bob, or wedge length, (2) add volume through layers and sizzle with highlights, and (3) comb your hair to the style you want.

In figure skating, if you say or execute the camel spin with a sitting spin, a name instantly comes to mind – Dorothy Hamill.

Dorothy Stuart Hamill, an American figure skater, had a phenomenal career in the sport as she became the Innsbruck Winter Olympics and Gutenberg World Championships gold medalist in 1976.

Before Dorothy had the Hamill Camel signature skating move, she suffered consecutive losses in 1974 and 1975. Yet, the important thing is that she bounced back.

According to the International Olympic Committee, Hamill even got the Greenwich, Connecticut ice rink, where she used to practice when she was eight up to 12 years old, named after her: the Dorothy Hamill Ice Rink.

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Born on the 26th of July 1956 and dubbed America’s Sweetheart, this figure skating legend is not just a force to be reckoned with on the ice. She’s also known for her fashionable hairstyle, the Dorothy Hamill haircut, created by Yusuke Suga.

We know how you’d love to swizzle and twizzle around the nine different Dorothy Hamill hairstyles, and we are more than willing to show you everything in this article!

What is the Dorothy Hamill haircut called?

All the hairstyles that the figure skating icon wears are called the Dorothy Hamill haircut. Yet, it all started with her skating style called the wedge haircut, labeled the Hamill Wedge.

During her skating years until her retirement, she fashioned the Dorothy Hamill haircut characterized by short hair and styled in different looks: bob, layered, modern pixie, feathered, or fringes.

With all of these, we believe you’d like to know more about it in specifics, so here’s the list of the Dorothy Hamill hairstyles for you:

Dorothy Hamill Wedge Haircut

The haircut that started the Dorothy Hamill style is the timeless wedge haircut. A wedge is detailed by short and layered thick hair with bangs.

According to an article, the world-famous hairstylist Vidal Sassoon put into the limelight the wedge haircut along with other short hair styles.

This Hamill hairstyle complements any face type and age as it lifts the facial features. To add, the bangs soften the roundness or squareness of the face.

Wedge haircut also makes the person wearing the style younger, as shown in the image of Dorothy Hamill above.

Moreover, in terms of hair type, this can work with thick or thin hair. For those with thick strands, the layers of the wedge add variation and dimension to the hair. On the other hand, with thin strands, the wedge creates volume.

Short Dorothy Hamill Haircut

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A list of the short Dorothy Hamill haircut is not complete without the pixie style. The pixie is as short as the wedge haircut and is similar in nature with its bangs and layers.

However, this short pixie hairstyle is more modern and fits more mature women, especially mid-aged women. Wearing this classic style with your hair short gives lighter weight for those with thick hair styles.

The lighter the pixie gets, the less heavy it is for mid-aged women to carry, especially if they have to work, move like professional athletes, or do many of their daily errands.

Compared to the wedge cuts’ balanced hair thickness, a short pixie cut has more hair on the crown part of the head and thinner on the sides.

Audrey Hepburn has primarily mainstreamed this easy-to-style-with Dorothy Hamill pixie haircut.

Yet, a downside of a pixie cut is its maintenance. A pixie cut is a wash-and-wear type for women, but if you want to sport a chic pixie, frequent trims and trips to the hair salon are needed.

Dorothy Hamill Haircut Year

As timeless as her beauty (and her heart for skating) are her short haircuts variation throughout the years.

Within these years, it has been known that Dorothy Hamill goes with her natural brown hair and styles it occasionally with golden streaks and highlights that match her skin tone.

With this, we’ll show and describe the following Dorothy Hamill short hairstyles from 1976 to the present, just for you.

Dorothy Hamill Haircut 1980

In the 1980s, the Dorothy Hamill hairstyle was more concentrated on wedge cuts, as evident in what she’s wearing in the image. Yet, in the 80s, her styling leads more to long wedges.

Moreover, the hairstyle cut highlighted the youthful glow and made her face smaller with the bangs. 

Also, having this hairstyle will limit your hair’s contact with straightening or curling irons, as you can just let your hair be with a wedge.

Dorothy Hamill Haircut 1976

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The goldenDorothy Hamill hairstyle would not be what it is if not for her famous style – the shorter yet volumized wedge cut. This style is often interchanged with a bob cut. 

Nevertheless, as you can see in the image, she is wearing a short wedge style that synchronizes with her skating movement, gracefully bouncing and matching her gold-winning skills.

A plus factor for a short wedge cut is that it will not get into your face when performing, just like Dorothy. 

Dorothy Hamill Haircut Now (2022)

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Recently, Dorothy Hamill is seen wearing a pixie cut style in a different look with her golden highlights and wispy bangs.

Wispy bangs are essential if you have jaws like Dorothy Hamill’s because they will tone it down a bit.

Also, the highlights are lighter on the crown and front head areas and darker on the middle and the nape to create an ombre effect which adds to the overall style.

Modern Dorothy Hamill Haircut

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The image above shows Dorothy Hamill rocking a classic Hamill wedge with her Greenwich childhood friend, Chris Geer. 

Her hair cut is still short, with golden brown accents on the mid to tip, full textured bangs, and darker roots. This color combination can also be called shadow roots.

Moreover, the warm tones covering Dorothy Hamill’s hair give a modern vibe, adding color to the face even without makeup and, most importantly, a summer-ready look that women always love to have.

Dorothy Hamill Bob Haircut

Dorothy Hamill has also worn an amazing short bob style with a semi-side-curtain fringe peaking with all its layered dimensions.

This bob styling that she wore highlights her facial features: bright blue eyes, a pointy nose, and a beautiful smile.

Wearing a bob cut doesn’t mean you get to go back in time just because it was popularized in the 20s by the silent-film actress Mary Thurman.

In fact, even younger women nowadays are wearing differently-styled bob cuts. This short bob haircut is super low maintenance, perfect for athletes and multitaskers with curly or straight hair. 

This bob style can also be easily worn by women (or men) on any occasion, as the bob can be regal and fun simultaneously.

Dorothy Hamill Haircut Back View

Getting the best Dorothy Hamill straight hair cut is always better when you see it from the front (with the bangs) and back, regardless if it’s a short bob, a pixie cut, a wedge cut, or the bowl cut style.

This two-time gold medal champion surely knows the word versatility. If you see her hair from the sides and back, you will notice that she has perfect angled layers. 

Layered Dorothy Hamill Haircut Back View

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This layered Dorothy Hamill haircut is a perfect style for skaters as it goes with the flow, which means it is freely moving like a bouncing ball or a swinging tree because of its dimensions.

Most importantly, for professional skaters like Dorothy Hamill, this classic layered cut is genuinely a cut among the others as you will not have to stress much about the styling and how it will go with the trend.

Who is the Dorothy Hamill hairstyle suitable for?

The Dorothy Hamill haircut is suitable for any facial shape: rectangle, square, oval, round, heart, or diamond.

Short hair with peaking bangs can change your overall look as it limits the view on your forehead and cheeks, emphasizing your eyes, nose, and lips.

Well, if you like to be specific, Dorothy Hamill’s hair styling complemented her diamond-shaped face and thick strands.

How to cut a Dorothy Hamil haircut?

Having the best Dorothy Hamill hairstyles for young, elderly, or mid-aged women is easy.

All you have to do is go to the best hairstylist in town, show the wedge cut, bowl cut, or any other Dorothy haircut, and get your hair done!

If you want to know the steps in getting classic and stylish short hairstyles, here’s a classic Dorothy Hamill haircut tutorial:

Dorothy Hamill haircuts tutorial

Of course, you don’t always need to ask for the services of a world-famous hairstylist to achieve the Dorothy Hamill low-maintenance haircuts for women.

As a matter of fact, you can get your Hamill style with these easy steps:

  1. First, cut your hair short. You can use the 6-inch Fagaci professional hair scissors to get the precise length you prefer.
  2. Second, put some layers. Layering is vital to achieving the Dorothy Hamill wedge cut, including the textured bangs. It’s easy to recreate with a ULG hair thinning shears on your equipment list.
  3. Third, add some highlights. Light blonde highlights in Dorothy’s short haircuts are required for any skin tone. To have a tremendous blonde style, you can choose from the range of colors provided by Garnier Nutrisse’s hair color.
  4. Lastly, comb your hair. If you wear a Hamill wedge cut or bowl cut, you need to part it on the center and comb it straight down with an Aveda wooden paddle brush.

Former hairstyles of Dorothy Hamill

When talking about range, Dorothy Hamill hairstyles can surely ace that department as it doesn’t just include the hairstyles mentioned above.

This Olympic gold medal style icon also sported short style cuts like the short middle-parted hairstyle, layers with curtain bangs, and a classic short feathered hairstyle.

We will elaborate more on these amazing blonde haircuts she wore in this section:

Ear-Length Middle-Parted Short Style

Keeping Dorothy Hamill’s wedge cut alive, the stylish short-length blonde haircut with a middle part she is wearing in the image looks queenly for women. It has seamless layers adding movement and character to the overall look.

Neck-Length Thick Hair With Curtain Bangs

This neck-length style is a deviation from the usual Dorothy Hamill short hairstyle. Wearing this stylish hairstyle will create a shape for your face, highlighting your features and makeup.

Short Feathered Style

Usually, a feathered hairstyle will give you curls and a fly-away effect. However, in Dorothy Hamill’s case, her hair falls directly downright, but still with dimensions from the side layers.

You can never go wrong with this great hairstyle for women as it elaborates on texture and volume.

FAQ

After seeing all these Dorothy Hamill’s classic haircuts, you might have some questions in mind before thinking of wearing them:

Conclusion

As you familiarize yourself with the different haircuts of Dorothy Hamill from this list, we hope the favorite style you’ll be wearing will radiate the chic look you’re looking for, no matter your age!

Just remember these four things before you wear the best Dorothy Hamill haircuts for you:

  1. Cut your hair (short haircut is the way to go!)
  2. Put some layers and bangs on your short hairstyle
  3. Add some highlights on your haircuts
  4. Comb your hair in a stylish manner

Now, go and flaunt these Dorothy Hamill haircuts!

aida turner

Aida

Founder & Hair Beauty Specialist

I’m Aida and this is my blog where I write mostly about beauty and make up related stuff, but I like to spice it up a bit with lifestyle and photography posts. Or with whatever that comes to my mind. Hope you will enjoy the reading enough that we will ‘see’ each other more often!