Stacked or wedged shaping in haircutting became famous in 1976 when Olympic Skater Dorothy Hamill won the gold. Thousands of women were awestruck when the ice skater turned upside down, twirled and turned right side up with her hair falling perfectly back in place.
The wedge-shaped hairstyle was named for the skater and called the Dorothy Hamill for many years after that. It is now often called a wedge or a stacked cut and is still, over 30 years later, one of the more popular hairstyles among short hair wearers.

Ms Hamill’s style was cut shorter than the one pictured here but it was based along the same angled lines.

A Dorothy Hamill or wedge hairstyle is dependant on precision cutting on fine layers of hair. Starting from the nape (back hairline), each layer of hair is cut very slightly longer than the one below, until a determined point where the fullest point or ‘weight line’ is desired. From there on each layer rests on the one below causing it to stack out.

The top of the original wedged hairstyle is all one length from the top to the ‘weight line’ or widest part. There are many variations. Some hair is thick enough that it can be layered on top and still form the classic wedge or stacked shape. However, leaving the long hair on the top will result in a wider and more dramatic wedge.

Hair that is cut into this style will hold its shape throughout an active day. The cut creates fullness without the necessity for backcombing and hairspray. Many women love this look because it gives the feeling of having longer hair while being as easy to care for as very short hair.

Short angle bobs or inverted bobs often use the stacked cutting technique in the back for fullness and to accentuate the angled effect. The back of the inverted bob that is shown here is stacked.