Victoria Beckham - aka Posh Spice - is no stranger to making a dramatic entrance.
Last year, she made sure her asymmetrical bleached blonde bob got maximum exposure when she timed her new haircut with her family's move to Los Angeles.
Last month, the 34-year-old did it again by showing up at the Marc Jacobs fashion show in New York with a new pixie cut.
While her distinctive former bob was swiftly dubbed the Pob and inspired many other starlets to get similar short dos, Posh's current crop is getting more of a mixed reception.
British newspaper The Telegraph noted that this cut seems to be modelled after several already well-known styles.
'The former Spice Girl appears to be channelling Liza Minnelli with her new look. The gamine crop also nods to Bond-era Halle Berry, with a dash of Audrey Hepburn thrown in.'
In fact, the celebrity hairstylist responsible for the cut, Garren - who goes by just one name - used to cut Hepburn's hair, as well as that of another actress famous for short hair, Mia Farrow. He told Marie Claire magazine that he was inspired by these former clients as well as 'Posh's face shape and striking features, including those huge chocolate-brown eyes'.
If the reaction to Posh's pixie is lukewarm, then her Best Friend Forever (BFF) Katie Holmes' new shaggy do is faring even worse.
Last year, the actress, 29, chopped her long hair off first for a casual side-parted bob and then for a more dramatic China doll bob with blunt bangs. Many journalists and bloggers wondered if she was copying Beckham's style, but most agreed that she looked much more chic.
Now, with her new crop, MrsCruise may be losing all that style cachet.
The New York Daily News has cheekily implored her to 'put the scissors down, Katie'.
'Call it mane-orexia: when a woman stuck with short hair can't stop chopping because growing out her short style is such a long, awkward process,' the article went.
The Chicago Tribune damned the do with faint praise by commenting that this style 'was popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s'.
Indeed, while the short crop is the hairstyle of the moment in Hollywood, it seems that it is not Posh and Holmes who are doing it best.
Younger, funkier celebrities like singer Rihanna, model Agyness Deyn and actress Selma Blair were already making the boyish crop the hip cut last year.
Still, don't count these two out just yet - especially Beckham, who is constantly reinventing her look. A surprising new look may be just around the corner.
Says Serena Lew, senior style director of Toni & Guy Hairdressing at The Heeren: 'Love her or hate her, I personally think she has been a wonderful inspiration for the hairdressing industry. She's prompted more women than ever before to experiment with shorter styles.'
Hair guru Shunji Matsuo agrees: 'She has opted for very different and dramatic hairstyles. I can't wait to see what's next.'
VICTORIA BECKHAM, 34
The Posh
As a member of the Spice Girls in the 1990s, the then-single Victoria Adams was designated the Posh one - 'Easy V doesn't come for free, she's a real lady' was her one-line introduction in the hit song Wannabe.
This centre-parted, flat-ironed shoulder-dusting bob was part of her whole prim and proper persona, intended to be much more sedate than Scary's curls and Ginger's red hair.
'A very simple and common hairstyle. There is no wow factor,' concludes Maeda Toshikazu, 41, artistic director of Komachi The Hair Cult.
The Wag
For much of the early noughties, Mrs David Beckham could be seen sporting these flowing tresses and various vampy outfits as she cheered on her soccer-star husband from the stands or paraded down yet another red carpet.
Serena Lew, 32, senior style director of Toni & Guy Hairdressing's Heeren outlet, calls this look part of Posh's 'early Wag days, with her highlights, blow-out and long extensions'. Many other members of England's national football team's Wives And Girlfriends (Wag) club copied the Eurotrashy streaked, tousled look. However, the most famous Wag soon moved on to another style.
The Pob
Last year, the Beckhams moved to Los Angeles when David became a player for an American soccer team.
Victoria marked the move by unveiling a striking asymmetrical bleached bob that was so widely photographed and copied that it was soon dubbed the Pob, in honour of her Poshness herself.
The style cemented her fashion icon status because it was super flattering. 'This is an elegant and classy hair cut that gives great movement. The long fringe accentuates her sharp features while the short bob shows off her neck. Blonde suits her skin tone better as well,' notes Toshikazu.
The Pixie
Which brings us to her latest cut, a pixie crop that makes those sharp cheekbones and pointed chin even more obvious. While it is not attracting as much attention as the Pob - yet - Shunji Matsuo, international director of Shunji Matsuo Hair Studio in his 50s, believes it is a good move for Posh to go short. 'While Victoria looks glamorous in long hair, short cuts suit her best as they bring out her sharp facial features.'
Lew agrees, saying: 'Victoria's new crop is a daring step forward.'
KATIE HOLMES, 29
The Joey
As Joey Potter, the all-American girl-next-door in 1990s teen drama series Dawson's Creek, Holmes' long brown locks were perfect for both her character and her public persona (there didn't seem to be much difference between the two).
Some may consider this high school sweetheart style a bit boring, but Matsuo thinks it suits her best. 'With her sweet features and natural beauty, shoulder-length layered styles work best to accentuate her look.'
The Trophy Wife Bob
Last year, about six months after she married actor Tom Cruise, new mother Holmes followed in the footsteps of new best friend Posh and got bobbed. Her casually tousled version with side-swept bangs was much more sedate than the punkish Pob, though. Polished but not too generic, the cut is 'on the whole very balanced and looks good on her', says Toshikazu.
The China Doll
Holmes soon updated her simple bob with dramatic blunt bangs, and paired this sleek look with a series of striking couture gowns at various events. Lew thinks this China doll bob 'really suits the shape of her face, updating her look and giving her an instant style fix'.
However, Matsuo feels that while this hairstyle 'showed that she was trying to make a very strong fashion statement, it's hard for her to maintain this sort of dramatic cut as she does not have the glamorous look to go with it'.
The Shag
Recently seen around New York City sporting this shorter, shaggy do, Holmes, who has been preparing for a Broadway stint, hasn't drawn many flattering comments about her latest look.
'This is a terrible style,' says Toshikazu.
'The shape of the hairstyle is not balanced, the style should be given more volume to increase movement in the hair.'
At least it is not as time-consuming to maintain as the bob, which needs frequent trims and lots of blow-drying to maintain its shape. Lew thinks the more layered, textured cut 'must be lower maintenance for this busy working mum'.
