Since Kate Moss was spotted sporting hers last week, top hairdressers have been bombarded with requests for fringes. But are they kooky and cute, or more trouble than they're worth?

Here, EIMEAR O'HAGAN speaks to three women who went for the chop, and celebrity hair stylist Nicky Clarke gives advice on how to make it work.

Mars Webb, 40, is a freelance consultant who lives in Streatham, South London, with her husband Patrick, 41, and their children - Tess, nine, Tom, seven, and Poppy, four.She says:

The last time I had a fringe was when I was seven and decided to cut myself one with the kitchen scissors the night before my First Communion.

My mother went ballistic when she found me standing in the bathroom with a raggedy fringe and a guilty smile on my face.

I thought I looked fabulous, but she didn't share my enthusiasm - I had to have an emergency appointment at the hairdresser's the next morning so I didn't look too frightful in the photographs.

Since then, I've gone from very short bobs to long hair, but I've never again had a fringe. I've always associated them with being very young, and not a 'grown-up' hairstyle.

I must have lost some of my seven-year-old confidence.

But I turned 40 recently and needed to update my look.

Hearing they could take ten years off you, a fringe seemed the perfect solution, especially as they're so trendy at the moment.

Plus, it has the added bonus of covering up the lines that have started to appear on my forehead.

When I looked in the mirror after the hairdresser had got to work, I was really pleased with the result.

The fringe has changed my facial shape and made my cheekbones more accentuated.

I couldn't wait to show my husband, but unfortunately he reacted by laughing and telling me he thought it aged me by a few years - not what I wanted to hear.

And I've quickly realised that a fringe is not going to fit in well with my lifestyle. I work full-time and have three young children to look after, so my haircare has to be a low-maintenance affair.

I have it cut and coloured every six weeks, but don't really have time to do anything else.

To maintain this fringe I would have to spend time blowdrying and straightening it every day.

So as much as I love my fringe and think it really suits me, I'm probably going to get it cut out quite soon as it's a bit too highmaintenance for me.

But if I had a stylist at my beck and call every hour of the day like Kate Moss, I would definitely keep it.

LAURA SWANN, 30, is the managing director of Hamilton PR and lives in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, with her husband Martyn, 30.

She says: For years I've had a really 'safe' haircut - a side parting and a few longish layers - but for the past few months I've been really keen to try something different.

When Cheryl Cole from Girls Aloud got a fringe cut in, then Kate Moss, I was really jealous.

I knew it would be the perfect way to modernise my hair without losing any of the length.

However, I kept losing my nerve and cancelling hairdresser appointments. I wasn't helped by the fact that my husband wasn't very keen on me having one.

Men's only experiences of fringes are the girls they went to school with, and I think he was worried that I'd come out of the salon looking like an eight-year-old.

I've never had a fringe before, not even when I was little, so I was incredibly nervous before my appointment - I felt like I was about to sit an exam.

I was shaking as the hairdresser began to snip away, but he soon put me at my ease, reassuring me that I have a heart-shaped face which is perfect for a fringe, and very straight, smooth hair, which means having a fringe wouldn't involve too much maintenance.

When I looked in the mirror I couldn't have been happier. It has completely transformed my look and a very good friend, who was the first to see me after I'd had it cut, didn't even recognise me.

My husband loved it, too. He said it was a lot more glamorouslooking than he was expecting.

I'm not worried about my fringe being high-maintenance. I blowdry my hair every day anyway, so it won't be an extra chore.

Having it done has tempted me to make some more dramatic changes to my general appearance as it has taught me not to be frightened of being more adventurous.

GEMMA ROGERS, 22, is a fashion journalist who lives with friends in Notting Hill, West London. She says:

Two years ago I briefly dabbled with a fringe. I thought it would make me look more sophisticated but immediately regretted my decision.

Fringes weren't very fashionableat the time and I didn't feel it suited me, as my hair was a lot shorter than it is now.

It made my face look plump and I thought I looked like a little girl again - which was the last time I'd had one.

I work in fashion and love following the latest trends, but I'm not very adventurous when it comes to my hair. But recently I've been considering a not-too- dramatic change.

A fringe seemed like the perfect solution. This time round I knew I wanted a really choppy, sexy style like Cheryl Cole's.

The hairdresser told me that my straight hair and oval-shaped face were ideal for this type of fringe.

When I looked in the mirror after my hair had been cut I was thrilled. It's amazing the effect a haircut can have on your persona.

I've lost my baby face and suddenly feel a lot more glamorous.

Friends and colleagues have told me they think my fringe is gorgeous and they're all tempted to get one now.

But although I love my new look, sadly, I doubt I'll keep it in this style for too long. As it begins to grow out, I'll start sweeping it over into a side fringe.

I think fringes are quite highmaintenance while I prefer to get up and go. I tend to wear my hair natural and tousled: minimum effort required.

My new look will require me to get the straighteners out every morning, and I don't really have the time to do that.

HAIRDRESSER NICKY CLARKE SAYS:

Kate Moss has gone for a real rock-chick look with her bluntly cut, choppy fringe, which perfectly compliments her delicate pixie features.

However, you don't have to be an international style icon to pull off a fringe.

A fringe can flatter almost anyone because there are so many variations of it, from the sweet schoolgirl one across your whole forehead to the sideswept, rock-chick version.

The rock-chick fringe is the look of the moment; it's edgy and spontaneous-looking.

Kate Moss certainly doesn't look like she's spent hours styling hers, and that's why it's so cool.

The crucial thing to remember is it's all about balance.

You may need some extra height at the crown or more texture in your hair, achieved with the addition of some layers; or perhaps you might need to think about changing your hair colour.

You can't just look at a fringe in isolation - think about your hairstyle as a whole.

People have a perception that fringes are very time-consuming, but this will depend on your hair type.

If you have wavy hair, you're obviously going to have to spend longer blowdrying and straightening it than someone with fine, straight hair.

You'll also need to have it trimmed every two to three weeks to keep it at its optimum length, which is between the eyes and eyebrows.