The decade style supposedly forgot is enjoying a belated reassessment. First, there was the glut of 1970s-referencing designs on LCM’s runways. Now, there’s the HBO series Vinyl – a Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger-produced look at the septum-eroding excesses of the music industry’s most decadent decade, which is making us reassess the received logic on oversized collars and even bigger hair.

So even if you’re not quite ready to jump on the flares trend, you can at least get your head in the game, whatever your style, facial anatomy and attitude.

Hippie And Page Boy

As seen on this year’s runways, letting your hair do its own thing is the laid-back approach to long tresses. Of course, reality differs – the right cut and care ensures your unfussed mane is more John Travolta than Wurzel Gummidge. So no, you can’t just grow it out and ditch the scissors. “Ask your barber to keep the length and layer it to the right shape,” says Darius Kravitz, from The Legends Barbershop.

It’s a style best suited to thick, straight or wavy hair – too fine errs feminine, too curly and you could end up with a Kevin Keegan perm. The cut suits oval faces best – longer hair makes everything look longer – and demands little upkeep. “Just wash twice a week with lukewarm water and enhance the sheen, if necessary, with extra-gloss products.” Far out.

(Related: Why you should grow out your hair this year)

The Shag And Rooster

Make long hair look less accidental by adding more layers than an Aztec temple. The cut of choice for Rod Stewart and David Cassidy, you need thick, straight hair to ensure the structure’s defined enough. Grow it out until it hits your collar, then ask for long, spiky hair on top, as well as layers through the back and sides to give that distinctive feathering. “You want to create layers that are naturally longer as you go down,” says Kravitz.