Viola Davis Is Personally Bringing The Classic Short Bob Back For Fall

As one of the most respected actors in the industry, Viola Davis always keeps her work top of mind. Few have the capacity to perform and promote like Davis can, which makes her ability to simultaneously serve up incredible beauty looks all the more exciting. Take her latest appearance on The Tonight Show, for instance. Davis stopped by Jimmy Fallon’s late-night show ostensibly to promote her new blockbuster, The Woman King. As it happens, her guest spot probably did as much for short, chic haircuts as it did for the upcoming film. Viola Davis’ bob — a true bob, just skimming her jawline for a polish look — is at once sleek, sophisticated, and more than a little sultry.

The best part about her timeless hairstyle, though, is the way every component of it works in perfect harmony. The bob’s sideswept face-frame emphasizes Davis’ sculpted bone structure, the gentle wave adds so much movement and shape, while traces of blink-and-miss-them subtle highlights create dimension and warmth. Together, they make an ideal hairstyle for major fall and winter events — it’s a perfect example of casual glamour. Created by celebrity hairstylist Jamika Wilson, it also stands in excellent complement to Davis’ rich velvet gown and matching emerald green eyeshadow.

Though it’s yet to be revealed the exact tools and techniques Wilson used on the wavy bob, her behind-the-scenes shots indicate the ends were trimmed just before showtime for a fresh, impossibly neat look. On the makeup front, Davis’ instant-classic green eyeshadow — applied by celebrity makeup artist Sergio López-Rivera — was a stylish nod to her velvet gown. Notably, López-Rivera appears to have rimmed Davis’s upper and lower lashlines in smoldering black eyeliner, a ‘00s-era trend popping up on every chic celebrity this fall.

For much of 2022, Davis has favored short, elegant hairstyles both on the red carpet and off. Her glossy, curly Afro at the Toronto International Film Festival proved instantly screenshot-worthy, while a bang-accented, Cleopatra-style bob numbers among her most worn looks of all-time — she even had the style for her birthday, which might be the ultimate indicator of a person’s all-time favorite hair and makeup.

As a whole, Davis’ talk show look walked the line between trendy (those low-key highlights, her emerald green eyeshadow) and timeless thanks to the ever-chic bob silhouette. Go ahead and add “perennial tastemaker” to her mile-long resume — if there’s any room left, that is.