Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga rolled up to the 2025 Grammy Awards sporting versions of the traditional Japanese "hime cut," a disconnected shag defined by straight, cheek-length sidelocks and a front fringe.
Also called a “princess cut” (hime means "princess" in Japanese), the pop stars' style has been erroneously referred to in celebrity media as a “jellyfish” cut, which would have a disconnected section going all the way around the head.
The hime cut is structured, edgy, and versatile. Cyrus' take by Bob Recine included dramatic face-framing layers and chunky highlights, while Gaga's version by Freddie Aspiras featured a micro-fringe. Billie Eilish also showed up to the Grammys sporting a short bob-length version of the hime cut under a black hat.
The cut takes precision. Sam Villa, co-founder and chief creative officer of Sam Villa and global artistic ambassador for Redken, demonstrates how to do a hime cut here:
Pro Tips:
- Cut hair dry in its natural falling position to ensure it’s right the first time, versus going back to correct it.
- To make sure the fringe wraps around, cut to the round of the head and be thoughtful about where to start the cutting line. Sectioning is key — break larger sections into smaller subsections with blousing.
- When cutting fringe, use the wide teeth of a Sam Villa Signature Series Long Cutting Comb to hold hair at the level to establish the perimeter, and point-cut from under the comb to create a soft, yet defined line. Cutting with the wide teeth eliminates excess tension.
- The sides start at the high point of the head and are the width of the ear. Blouse to subsection, and working from bottom to top with horizontal sections, use a razor to establish and maintain consistency in the perimeter line based on the guide underneath.