How many times can a single haircut stage yet another triumphant comeback? In the case of the bob, its reincarnations are seemingly infinite. This most recent revival started with the models  - first Arizona Muse with her brilliantly ‘90s, grungy bob setting her apart from her long-haired contemporaries – then Karlie Kloss following suit with a choppy bob so covetable she became one of those rare women who have a haircut named in her honour. 

A bob can be smooth and sleek, hugging the head like a cap - think of Erin O’Connor’s famous polished helmet of hair - or beautifully dishevelled, the ultimate haircut for distractedly running your fingers through (see: lovely, neurotic Winona in Reality Bites.)

There’s something so self-assured about a woman who doesn’t need to hide behind her hair, teenage-style, but can simply tuck it behind her ears and sally forth with confidence. The bob is still feminine but it’s the haircut of a grown-up woman rather than a giggling ingénue. It makes the wearer seem coolly confident and thoroughly capable, so it’s no surprise that three more famously beautiful women have joined the revival. 

Milla Jovovich returns to probably her most recognisable look with her new cut – a soft, romantic take on the classic bob that actually seems to look better the more tousled it gets. Meanwhile January Jones has gone for something choppier with a fringe which she can style with a retro spin for the red carpet or leave messy and casual for everyday life. 

But it’s Jennifer Connelly’s dramatic departure from her famously sleek, long hair which is our favourite new interpretation of the classic bob. There’s more than a touch of Elastica frontwoman Justine Frischmann’s asymmetric, side-parted ‘90s style to Jennifer’s bob which, ironically, makes it feel the most contemporary of the lot.

Click the gallery to see the women who put their own stamp on this timeless style in their era