Kathryn Morris: Short Tressed Trend Setter

Introduction

If you have been watching the sizzling new CBS police detective drama with a unique twist, you have probably noticed the brilliant Detective Lilly Rush, played by Kathryn Morris.

(Photo of Kathryn Morris - Cold Case - CBS 2003 - all rights reserved). The twist part is that all of the cases that Detective Lilly Rush has to solve, are all "cold cases" meaning cases that were shelved years ago without resolution. Morris plays the lone female detective in a Philadelphia homicide squad who finders her calling solving the cold cases that have never been solved, for whatever reason.

In her role as the intelligent, street savvy female detective, Kathryn Morris is coiffed in a no-nonsense short choppy style that is trend setting. If you look closely at her hair you will notice that her short style seems to be made up of a series of buttery ribbons that stream from her crown.

(Photo of Kathryn Morris - Cold Case - CBS 2003 - all rights reserved).

So what creates that unusual look? A very hot flat iron used on small sections and then layered, creates the unusual yet edgy style that Morris is becoming known for.

If you think that Kathryn looks vaguely familiar, it is probably because she has been acting in a variety of less famous parts over the years. Kathryn, who has also been billed as Kathy Morris, as acted in a wide ranges of films and television roles.

Born on January 28th, this Aquarian established a reputation in the cult classic, Xena: Warrior Princes as the vulnerable villain Najara. (Photo of Kathryn Morris at Tavern On The Green in NYC for Cold Case - all rights reserved).

She also had a very small non-speaking part on the wildly popular movie, As Good As It Gets with Jack Nicholson.

Kathryn recently has a part in the upcoming movie Paycheck that stars Ben Affleck in this action/adventure, science fiction film that is also billed as a fantasy thriller.

Kathryn's Look

The look that Kathryn wears on Cold Case is an urban take on a style that is a combination of techniques.

(Photo of Kathryn Morris - Cold Case - CBS 2003 - all rights reserved).

If you look closely at her short style, you will notice that it combines elements of shattered pieces in cascading lengths around her face line and in the back. The style is one part shag with it piecey appeal and longer length, which Morris often pulls into a tiny pony to disconnected tresses that appear to have been cut in a freeform manner to give the look tons of movement and chunky style. What's fascinating to me is that at different angles and at different times the look morphs from the appearance of a longer, shaggy do to a shattered chunky type of bob. So is it a bob, is it a shag or it is a classic blunt cut?

Although only the brilliant hairdresser that created the look knows for sure, I would have to surmise that Kathryn has a little of all of the above masterfully blended to give her volume, movement, texture, length and perfect elements of ribboned tousle. I have seen Kathryn's hair range from smooth and finished with a magnificent shine to more edgy, pieced out and messy.

Steal Her Look:

I have managed to find photos of Kathryn from the past. While she has worn her hair longer for various roles, in the very recent past she has been spotted wearing a version of a choppy, slightly flipped bob. The tiny flippy bobs are no longer as popular and her current Cold Case look is fuller, straighter and longer than her past shorter winged look.

(Photo of Kathryn Morris - Cold Case - CBS 2003 - all rights reserved).

Her current style is perfection with her face shape which appears to be a cross between an oval and a slight heart shape. Kathryn does have a slight chin that would be similar to someone with a classic heart face.

Not only does the style make her eyes and lips pop, it showcases her delicate features and her gorgeous skin.

To steal her look take photos of Kathryn in different poses to your favorite stylist and ask them to copy the style for you.

If your hair lacks volume, start by using volume enhancing shampoo. To style, apply a volumizing product like PhytoVolume Actif to the roots to give movement and lift. Using a large round brush (preferably one that is boars bristle) and a blow dryer, direct heat up the hair shaft from the roots to give the hair fullness.

Once the hair is 100% dry, use a regular, ceramic or teflon flat iron to give the hair control and that ribbon quality.

Separate hair into small sized strands that are approximately 1/2 to 1 inch in diameter and then flat iron. Let the hair cool completely and then apply a light stroke of wax or cream along the strand from about 1/2 inch from the roots to the ends to help direct the style into shape. When all the strands that you desire to flat iron have been cooled and lightly treated with wax or cream, finish with a very light spray to help hold the shape.

Other Options:

Since this style has a little length, you can do as Kathryn does and pull the back length into a tiny ponytai (see image on the side) held in place by a Blax or Bungee or even a shiny pony elastic.

(Photo of Kathryn Morris - Cold Case - CBS 2003 - all rights reserved).

Or tuck as much of the hair behind your ears as possible and pin a tiny bun into place.

You can also experiment with the part to give more sweep of hair to one side. Play with flat ironing just the front sections of your hair or see what happens if you flat iron your entire head. A simple change of the part, adding more styling wax or cream and you can easily create a whoe new look to your sizzling style.

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