Katie Holmes chops the bob down to a pixie

8/8/2008

NEW YORK Katie Holmes just keeps taking it off.

Mrs. Tom Cruise, who made a huge hairstyle splash when she helped fuel Hollywood s bob craze late last year, has been seen out and about in New York with a new pixie cut. Photos popping up on the Internet show Holmes sporting a shaggier version of the short do, with long bangs and a tapered neck.

The style was popular in the late 80s and early 90s, according to celebrity hairstylist Porsche Waldo, adding that Rihanna has a similar cut that is more spiky and punklike.

Last year, Holmes sheared off her long locks to create a sleek bob that some compared to the look popularized by Victoria Beckham, Holmes friend. Internet critics weighed in: Some loved it, others hated it, sniping that Holmes looked like her then 1-year-old daughter Suri.

Stylists are greeting the new do with mixed reviews.

I m personally not crazy about the look on anyone, says celebrity stylist and beauty expert Billy Lowe, adding that the cut with its soft neckline reminds him of a wig. I liked her much better in the bob. I thought it was really sophisticated, very chic and very trendy.

Stacy London, co-host of TLC s What Not to Wear, raved about the cut, saying it fit her face and her fashion persona much better.

This whole sort of fashion evolution since becoming Mrs. Tom Cruise, I think it has taken her time to find her sea-legs, says London. This haircut is clearly a step in the right direction.

The 29-year-old Holmes, who played Joey Potter on Dawson s Creek from 1998 to 2003, is in New York preparing to star in a revival of Arthur Miller s All My Sons, which goes into previews Sept. 18.