she looked so bright in pixie hair, she made me know how much i cared

When photos of Emma Watson's new pixie cut were first released to the unexpecting public a few months ago, I had one thought: ugh. My inner monologue went a-buzz when I saw her close crop - it's not that I didn't love her haircut, I was just jealous. For years, I've wanted to cut my hair into a chic short crop. I think it was a late night viewing of Bonjour Tristesse that did me in. Seeing Jean Seberg running around the French Riviera without any hair hanging down her neck ignited something in me that I haven't been able to shake. She looked so carefree, so sexy, so gaminely gorgeous - I wanted to be her (well, minus the part about destroying the lives of everyone around her ... in the film, I mean). 

Since then, I feel like everyone around me has these incredibly cool crops: so many actresses and singers - talented and untalented alike - have made the plunge with a pixie; my hairdresser is in the process of growing out her super spunky, edgy cropped 'do; the mother of one of my friends has the perfect pixie I really want to get. And then there are those amazingly cool girls I see around campus (but are too intimidatingly hip to ever approach them) who have immaculately cared-for crops. 

I know that I shouldn't ever cut my hair this drastically short. I've discussed this with my brothers, my mother, my friends, and hairdressers, and the general consensus is that I would look dreadful with this haircut. It's been explained that I don't have the 'elfish' features required for the look, which I accept and agree with. I don't have those devastatingly petite features that appear delicate and pretty. I've accepted the fact that if I were to crop my hair, I would look like an uglier version of my younger brother. Plus there's that danger of screwing up and coming out with a very mumsy look. It's easy to go wrong with this look if you opt for thick sideswept bangs in the front (a la Ashlee Simpson, Hayden Pannetierre, Kate Gosselin ... sorry guys). So while Kate (of the Eight) and I can't do the pixie, here is my ode to the women who have done it right:

Several of Audrey's most popular characters underwent major transformations in the form of cutting her hair short, like in Roman Holiday and Sabrina

French film actress Audrey Tautou has garnered comparisons to the Audrey mentioned above due to her coquettish gamine personality and her chic hairstyle

To portray Edie Sedgwick, Sienna Miller chopped off her long hippie locks in favor of a look more resembling the former Warhol superstar

Carey Mulligan reached the top of every best dressed list with her daring fashion choices and the ever-changing hue of her pixie

Pairing minimalist clothes with maximalist accessories, Edie Sedgwick sealed her fate as the style maven of the underground scene when she cropped and dyed her once-brunette long locks

Emma Watson has matched her new look with edgier fashion choices and more dramatic makeup

Ginnifer Goodwin shows off several different ways to style a pixie: sleek bangs swept across the forehead, styled back to give the appearance of shorter fringe, or mussed up for more texture

Laugh-In starlet Goldie Hawn looks like she's having a blast in her flower-power dress and short hairstyle

Halle Berry has the amazing ability to appear to never age - she constantly looks fresh and sexy, especially with her close crop

Jane Birkin, owner of the most lusted-for fringe of the sixties, went with a shorter look in the seventies

The style icon who started it all (for me, at least) Jean Seberg, the princess of French New Wave in Otto Preminger's Bonjour Tristesse and Jean-Luc Godard's À bout de souffle

Jean Shrimpton tries the style on as she channels Mia Farrow for a Vogue editorial 

Kate Moss transformed from poster gal of heroin chic to pixie princess in 2001 with a cut by her BFF James Brown (not that James Brown)

To play bounty hunter Domino Harvey, Keira Knightley got an edgy crop that was longer in the front than the back; though technically playing a bounty hunter, Keira looked like a rock star

Kirsten Dunst reportedly cropped her hair to prove to studio execs that she would be the right fit for an in-development Jean Seberg biopic (I'm still hoping that this project comes to being one of these days)

Marianne Faithfull revealed her short style in 1968, in projects such as Rock and Roll Circus, and again in the early 1970s

In the film Rosemary's Baby, Mia Farrow has this exchange with her displeased husband, played by John Cassavetes: 

JC: What the hell is that?

MF: I've been to Vidal Sassoon!

JC: You mean you actually paid for that?!

Besides the whole allowing his wife to be raped by Satan in exchange for a successful acting career, this was a primo example of Rosemary's husband's douchebaggery

A Mia of a different name - Wasikowska, that is - also rocks the pixie

Michelle Williams garnered comparisons to Mia Farrow when she cut her hair in 2007; three years later she has a pixie again but has longer fringe and a brighter shade of blonde

Model Mona Johannesson, photographed by Camilla Åkrans, channels Rosemary Woodhouse

In the process of growing out her post-V for Vendetta shorn look, Natalie Portman looked absolutely stunning with her groomed short style

Supermodel Agyness Deyn is known as much for her peroxide pixie as her androgynous style

Though she started a style craze when she debuted her chin-length bob in 2008, I prefer the heavily highlighted crop she sported at the Met Gala the next year

Selma Blair opted for shaggy, unevenly chopped bangs to add a little more edge to her cropped 'do

Victoria Beckham takes off that "extra half an inch" when she went from her Rihanna-reminiscent bob to this short pixie crop in early 2009

Winona Ryder's short hairstyle looked its grooviest in the 1960s-set film Girl, Interrupted matched with black-and-white boatneck tees and fitted turtleneck sweaters

Title: from "Keep On Believing" (Iggy Pop) 

Dress Like a Cupcake Should Feel

I love this mantra, created by UK illustrator Hennie Haworth. When I think of dressing like a cupcake, I think of dressing like I was six years old again, pretending I was Eloise at the Plaza or Grace Kelly on the French Riviera. Flirty dresses with full skirts in shades of pink, lavender, yellow, and cream - made even better by layers of crinoline underneath. Hair that looks like frosting, decorated with pink streaks, glitter, feathers, or bows. Lace, silk, satin, and sparkle! The look should be romantic and innocent. The idea should be to live inside of a 1950s movie, I personally have always wanted to live in an Audrey Hepburn movie. For Audrey, the answer is always to go to Paris and reinvent herself. Or to buy a new Givenchy dress.

Never say no to champagne before breakfast, chocolate-covered strawberries for lunch, or macaroons for dinner, and always keep room for dessert. Wear shoes because they look delicious with frilly ankle socks; not just high heels, but sparkly oxfords and pink marabou mules. Sit in front of a vanity mirror for hours and primp while listening to your best girl friends Eartha Kitt, Julie London, and Peggy Lee on vinyl. Buy perfume with bottles or names that excite you. Names that come to mind are Lolita Lempicka, Pink Sugar (how delish does that sound?), Dolly Girl, Princess, Blush, Daisy, Maybe Baby.

Here are some images that inspire me to indulge my inner cupcake:

An image from the endlessly inspiring Miss Dior Cherie campaign, helmed by Sofia Coppola and photographed by Tim Walker. Imagine running around Paris, popping into Dior and Ladurée, all while Brigitte Bardot's "Moi Je Joue" plays in the background.

Another Sofia Coppola project, Marie Antoinette, was described by the director as "the essence of Marie Antoinette's spirit ... She was in a total silk and cake world." In the memory of the Queen of France, I say, Let Them Eat Cupcakes!

The real-life "California Gurl" Katy Perry looks cotton candy-licious with a lavender wig and glittery and glowing skin.

Nothing says girlie quite like a ruffly dress with a heart-shaped back.

Holly Golightly knew that a tiara was the perfect way to add a little icing on top of an outfit.

Ruffle perfection! Actresses Mia Wasikowska, Amanda Seyfried, and Rebecca Hall look lovely in layered chiffon numbers in Vanity Fair.

When tired of prancing through the streets of Paris, a true Miss Dior Cherie knows to catch a ride from a group of balloons.

Design label Ban.do is excellent at designing delicious headwear that is sure to satisfy your sartorial sweet tooth.

Michelle Williams is every inch a pixie princess in delicate lace and rhinestone hair accessories.

An over-the-top mix of stripes, polka dots, and every color in the rainbow is a great way to channel your inner cupcake.

Vogue Korea shows us how the modern-day Alice would look at a Wonderland tea party.

Style maven Susie Bubble takes a cue from raspberry macaroons.

In the documentary Valentino: The Last Emperor, the designer shows off his confectionary creation.

Dita von Teese dresses like the most luxurious cupcake in the world in an 'outfit' (if you can call it that) of baby pink, glittery rhinestones, and feathers.

Lily Allen is caught in a mod romance in the music video for "The Fear."

In Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day, Amy Adams swaths herself in silks, furs, feathers, and satins, focusing on a cheerful color palette of pale pink, Robin's Egg blue, and gold.

Princess Grace Kelly - need I say more?

Kelly Osbourne strikes a pose in a pink dress, accessorizing with sparkly jewels and lavender hair.

Mischa Barton looks like a romantic bohemian adorned with feathers galore.

Beautiful hair hues: baby pink and pale purple.

The Pink Ladies of Grease look like sweet treats in the final scene of the film.

When I hit retirement age, I hope I am one-eighth as cool as the pastel-toned ladies of Juicy Couture.

Amanda Seyfried looks darling in Miu Miu platforms (which I Die for) and a ballerina sweater.

Ann-Margret looks the polar opposite of the sex kitten she would become as she stars in Bye Bye Birdie as sweet-as-apple-pie teenager Kim MacAfee.

One of my favorite Vanity Fair covers featured the young starlets of Hollywood in retro-inspired outfits of a pastel palette.

Another image from Miss Dior Cherie finds our heroine in a bakery. How perfect to look at cupcakes while dressed like one!

Zooey Deschanel - a quirky cupcake in a dreamy creation by fairy tale enthusiast Erin Fetherston.

Doris Day knows better than to match her outfit to her pups - she matches her dogs to her outfit!

Gossip Girl's Blair (Leighton Meester) and Serena (Blake Lively) are the ultimate dream team in scruptious outfits perfect for strolling the Parisian streets.

Betsey Johnson, a wild cupcake if there ever was one, rechannels Eloise at the Plaza to include zebra rugs and hot pink boas.

So delightful you could just eat her up! Amy Adams gets smooched on the set of the Vanity Fair cover photo shoot.

Well-hearsed in the stories of princesses (from The Princess Diaries to Ella Enchanted), Anne Hathaway looks every bit a princess at the Met Ball.

What better way to channel your inner cupcake than to accessorize with large curls, oversized glittery sunnies, and pink flowers in your hair?

When the option to wear flowers in your hair is no longer available, feather headdresses in pastel hues is a more-that-suitable second option.

Grace Kelly looks sweet as a treat in her beach get-up in To Catch a Thief.

I cannot get over how delish Debbie Reynolds looks in this fab outfit in Singin' In The Rain.

Channeling Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face is a near impossible task, but when paired with a handful of pink balloons, it's easy to get in the mood to strike a pose.

I'm more than a bit obsessed with Miu Miu's newest collection, a gathering of pinks, whites, rhinestones, printed birds, and prairie-style shoulders. This would be my dream cupcake wardrobe.

I love this vintage-y photo of a group of gals in these delightfully delicious swim caps with bright lipstick and eye shadow to match.

Another image from Miss Dior Cherie. A girl can't help but be inspired by the sweet indulgence.

I think the important thing is to seek the sweetness of a cupcake everyday, and, if you can manage it, in everything. Life is much more fun to look at it through rose-tinted glasses, no?