Emmys 2013: From Elisabeth Moss to Kate Mara, the best short hair on the red carpet

by Paige Dzenis September 23, 2013

See the best hair from the 2013 Emmy Awards »

Short hair is still where it’s at, with above-the-shoulder styles being amongst the best beauty looks on the 2013 Emmy Awards red carpet. From Elisabeth Moss’s cropped platinum cut to Kate Mara’s striking pin-straight style to Claire Danes’ faux bob, the message was clear: to stand out in a sea of Old Hollywood side parts and loose updos, you have to go short.

Not willing to let Betty Draper have all the fun, Elisabeth Moss debuted her freshly-dyed blonde hair on the Emmys red carpet. Channeling a little bit of a Charlize Theron vibe, the tousled, modern style was a new look for Moss—and a fierce one at that. As for Mad Men’s other leading ladies, both January Jones and Christina Hendricks kept their short cuts curly. Hendricks’s signature red hair was styled in tight corkscrew curls, but by keeping the top half of her hair straight it read more 1940s femme than disco queen. (Think: Bottega Veneta Fall 2013.) Jones’ hair was the most red carpet typical of all three, with her short hair parted to the side and curled—though the loose, wavy bob was still a standout look.

However, why cut your hair into a bob when a faux bob can look even better? Claire Danes’ Emmys hair may have looked authentically short, but dozens of bobby pins were secretly at work, crafting one of the best faux bobs we’ve seen on a red carpet. While most faux styles rely on messy, tousled hair to hide any hint of underpinning, Danes’ hair was sleek, straight and perfectly in place. A+!

Also making the case for straight hair was Kate Mara. She may not have been given a lot of Emmys air time, but her hair was next level. The deep side part was slicked down with product and the ends—left dry—were tucked back and barely grazed her shoulders. An easy style to achieve, sure, but it looked polished and of-the-moment. A similar straight look was spotted on Mara’s House of Cards co-star Kristen Connolly, who opted to style her short cut in a classic, rounded bob.