Some of America's top stylists pinpointed four key women's hair trends for fall:

• Bold, big styles with a touch of '80s throwback.

• Long, soft and healthy locks.

• Imaginative, intricate up 'dos.

• Bobs, a universally flattering classic.

The looks aren't radically different from some of the trends last fall, New York celebrity hairstylist Oscar Blandi told the Post-Gazette.

The key difference is that the "loose, wild" locks of yesteryear are now "much more polished, very clean, Old Hollywood glamour style," said Mr. Blandi. "It's much more controlled. Curls will be more defined. They will be more controlled, much tamer."

Straight hair is still in, but with more fullness, volume and bounce.

"No frizz, no flyaway," he said.

"The difference from two years ago was that hair was flat-ironed, pin straight," Karrie Fonte, assistant vice president of Matrix Education, said in an interview. "Last year was the polar opposite, loose and wavy like Madonna and Ashley Olsen. Now there's the combination, with more structure and style to it but still body and movement. It's more polished and versatile."

The bob is the most universally flattering fall hair trend, said Ms. Fonte.

"The bob is a timeless classic, and there's a variety of ways you can wear it," she said. "It can be shoulder or chin length, it can have internal layers for movement and softness, it can have a strong fringe, a delicate fringe or no fringe. It's an iconic look, a look that's always in."

Many women are afraid to cut their hair short, but more have been inspired by celebrities to take chances, she said.

She and Philip Pelusi predicted that the bob will usher in the even-shorter pixie cut next spring.

"More women are open to shorter hair that's still soft and feminine," Ms. Fonte said.