For any hair style you select, you should have your hair cut specifically for that style. It is possible to have a convertible hairdo, one which can be worn in two or more ways, but I do not recommend it. When the hair is cut to conform to a certain shape, it's illogical to expect it to look right in other shapes as well.

The reason for cutting hair in the first place is to shape it. It's like cutting material for carpentry, sew­ing or any other form of handicraft: you cut your material to measure. When cutting lumber to make a piece of furniture, you cut each plank to the precise length needed for the construction of that piece. You can see how ridiculous it would be if, in building an automobile or a boat or any other object, the worker failed to cut each part to the exact size and shape re­quired and instead left the excess material trailing off the back or sides. Shaping hair can be regarded in the same  terms.

It is even more important, in fact, to have hair the right length for each individual change of line. An error in cutting fabric, for example, might not be so serious because it might be able to support itself or be given support. Hair, however, is a substance that must hold its own shape, and must be cut in a way that will enable it to do so.

I believe, therefore, that in all cases—outside of some very slight changes—hair will always look best and fall best when it is set or combed in the way for which it was cut.

This short-haired girl affords a prime example of how the hair is cut to measure, with each end showing and falling exactly as it was cut.

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