In real life, The Hair Book‘s latest cover girl, Ashley Greene, has gorgeous, flowing brunet tresses. But her Twilight character, vampire Alice Cullen, sports much shorter styles, from an extreme chop in 2008’s Twlight to a more subtle, layered bob in 2010’s Eclipse (see below).

Her latest look? An incredibly chic, of-the-moment short crop. “We were…tweaking it a little bit every time,” Greene said recently of her ever-evolving movie do. For Breaking Dawn–Part 1 (November 18), “we wanted to make it a little more modern.”

Now for the surprise: These changing haircuts aren’t haircuts at all. Instead, they’re a series of no-commitment custom wigs.

It’s not uncommon for an actress to sport a wig for a film role. Dakota Fanning went temporarily short for next year’s Now Is Good, and Sandra Bullock covered her sleek chestnut locks with a rumpled dirty-blond wig for the upcoming Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

But you don’t need a hairpiece to steal Greene’s newest style, says Regis Artistic Director Terry Varty, who works out of Progressions Salon at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn.


“Shorter hair is definitely in for this season—you’re seeing it more now than ever before,” Varty says. Greene’s on-screen crop, he adds, is a modern twist on the classic pixie cut, with longer layers at the temple. “A typical pixie is much shorter. This is a little more feminine and softer.”

Thinking of making the cut? Varty says this short style can suit many different face shapes, so long as the length is appropriate for your features. Head to your salon stylist to help you find your perfect take on the pixie.

(And who’d have guessed that this season we’d be taking our style cues from vampires?)

Click here to find a Regis salon near you, and to book an appointment with a stylist today!