As of today, it’s officially autumn. Which can only mean one thing: it’s bob time. Of course, the snipping started on the first day of September – bobs were very much a theme on the pavements at London Fashion Week, where flippy, blunt and ’90s-inspired versions were all spied outside the shows.

The bob army’s newest recruit? None other than Aimee Lou Wood. The and actress revealed her new look courtesy of hairstylist George Northwood (who also looks after Alexa Chung’s locks) on Instagram on 23 September. Wood described the cut, which took inspiration from the heroine in the 2001 classic , as “life changing”. “The reason why it’s life changing is because when I looked in the mirror after the cut I recognised myself more,” she said on Instagram.

“It’s really interesting that a haircut can really make someone come alive,” Northwood tells . “It was lovely to release the bob within her.” Why release it now? “Having had long hair for a long time, [Wood] wanted just a serious chop,” he explains. “We were considering going shorter, you know – short, short. But we thought a bob was a good place to start, because I always think going really short the first time can be quite intense.” The swingy length, he continues, allows for versatile styling. While dramatically shorter than Wood’s previously past shoulder-length hair, it’s still long enough to be thrown up into a ponytail or slicked back behind the ears.

And while Amélie was on the mood board, Northwood says he also referenced the French-inspired chop from his client Chung’s hair back catalogue. “We also wanted it quite soft, so it was bringing back that almost slightly choppy Alexa bob that I was doing back in the day. It’s a return to a more textured look that is very soft on the face.” The hairstylist notes that while blunt bobs have been all the rage as of late, he thinks that a “choppier, messier, looser” look is the one to watch. And when it comes to hair, Northwood’s word is law.