It’s hard to believe that 2009 is almost half done, particularly if you are a fashionista, because nothing much seems to have changed so far this year. Without any drastic fashion statements being made by much-loved celebs, fashion – and particularly hair styles – seems to have stalled.

Close crop: Keira Knightley carried this style off magnificently, and showed that a woman with gorgeous facial features doesn’t need hair to look amazing (even if she does make pouting an entire way of life).

Cropped bob: Not a pixie cut, not quite a bob, this style says ‘fashion aware’ and ‘daring’ at the same time. This style works best on the kind of body that’s all in fashion (ie. slim and slight of build) which is always annoying for the rest of us normal-shaped women. If you have strong features, however, you can pull this style off.

Pixie: The pixie cut is just as popular in 2009 as it was in 2008, and why not? It looks both cute and sassy, and often looks great without needing any styling at all. If you do decide to go with a pixie cut, be aware that the cut starts to need styling when it gets to a certain length (hard to describe, but about three inches on average) lest you begin to look like a nineteenth-century boot boy.

Bob: The 2009 bob is slightly longer than the one popular in 2008, reaching almost to the shoulders. Many celebs have been spotted sporting this lengthy look, but it does harken back to the early 90s in a way that’s not altogether good. Sure, Nicole Kidman pulled it off admirably in To Die For, but…

Long hair: Long hair seems to definitely be back in this year. The good thing about long hair is it gives you plenty of options: you can shape it into lovely mermaid waves (also very much in vogue this year – those lovely, 1940s loose waves of hair as sported by Lauren Bacall and, more recently, Mila Jovovich); you can also put it up into wonderfully complex styles or cutesy looks such as milkmaid’s braids (another popular look this year). Long hair with a fringe seems to be out, but as always you should consider your own facial shape before making such decisions. Long but absolutely straight hair seems to be out so far this year, so let your natural waves express themselves.

Colours: Natural colours continue to be in vogue, with a slight leaning toward blonde. Despite other obvious dye jobs being distinctly out of fashion for 2009, platinum blonde is decidedly in. If you can’t go blonde, lean the other way in contrast as a dark brunette.

With so little change so far this year it’s hard to predict where hairstyles will travel in 2009, but as fashion increasingly becomes influenced by late 1980s styles we can only hope that the current trend toward classic basics won’t be replaced by early 90s big hair. Here’s hoping!