Letter-Box Bangs Are the Chicest Way to Wear Fringe This Spring

Beauty trends take their inspiration from so many places, but one style we didn’t have on our bingo card for 2025 hair trends was letter-box bangs, which are inspired by your front door’s most famous appendage.

We tapped Tom Smith—a top hairstylist, forecaster, and hair-voyant who is never one to steer us wrong—to get his take on the spring hair trends we should be watching out for. His prediction? A straight-blunt bang paying homage to your mail drop.

He has a point: Bangs have been looking decidedly Parisian of late, especially on the red carpet, with Audrey Hepburn–inspired looks being served up by everyone from Ariana Grande and Zoë Kravitz to Leighton Meester and Lady Gaga. Letter-box bangs land in a similar territory.

What are letter-box bangs?

“Characterized by the perfect horizontal framing of the eyes (and brows in shorter versions), this is just the beginning of the various fringe styles we’re likely to see throughout 2025,” says Smith. “Related to Hepburn and Birkin bangs, this style is ‘piecey’ and not overly thick, so hints of the forehead can be seen through them. And, thanks to the lighter density, it won’t look blocky,” he explains.

Do letter-box bangs work for all hair types?

The style can work across a range of hair types, but the key is to adapt it accordingly. “Very fine hair will need to consider the hair section and ensure it is thick enough to create the sharpness required,” says Smith. It’s also a good idea to use dry shampoo “preemptively to ensure the ‘piecey-ness’ doesn’t turn to oily separation during the day,” he adds. “Very curly hair will need to be re-blow-dried daily.”

How to wear letter-box bangs?

As for how to wear it, you can take it short and edgy; midi and retro; or keep it longer and a little more relaxed. Here are some of our favorite ways to style it.

Cropped letter-box bangs