Rihanna's stylist might have denied that the R&B singer's short hairstyle was inspired by Victoria Beckham's.
But corporate secretary Fiona Chew, 22, doesn't mind when people say she has 'Victoria Beckham hair'.

'It's a fresh and stylish haircut. She's also quite fashionable and hot, so I don't mind being associated with her,' she says.

Chew, who began sporting the layered bob last week, is one of many women in Singapore hit by Pob fever.

Popularised on Internet celebrity gossip and hair sites, the term Pob is short for 'Posh bob' and refers to the British pop star's current hairstyle.

An adaptation of the classic bob, the Pob features a chin-length, asymmetrical fringe and a concave, layered bob that is shorn short at the back.

Posh Spice first ditched her wavy, long brown tresses for a jagged bob last November. Then, along with her move with footballer husband David Beckham to Los Angeles in April, the fashion chameleon further texturised the back and dyed the whole do blonde.

Local hairstylists say they have been getting many requests to replicate her new hairstyle over the past few months.

'I get at least one customer a week requesting for it,' says Jonathan Foo of Jon's Salon at Far East Plaza. 'Even if they don't ask for it, they talk about it, saying it's very nice.'

These customers range in age from their 20s to late 30s, he adds.

Celebrity hairstylist David Gan of Passion salon in Palais Renaissance agrees that Posh sports a 'wonderful' short haircut - one that is very good for the working woman.

'Many of my female customers who work tell me that their husbands don't like them in short hair. They say that men find it very fierce. But Victoria Beckham still has a very soft, girly image because of her long fringe and her light hair colour,' he says.

But experts here warn that the Pob is not suitable for all Asian women.

Gan points out that Posh's haircut works because Caucasians tend to have coarser hair. Asians, on the other hand, usually have fine, dark coloured hair, making it more difficult for the choppy texture of the Pob to show through

Also, girls with curly hair would need to get it blown straight, says Ritz Lim of Estique Salon at Pacific Plaza.

And it's not just about the hair too.

Gan adds that the ideal person for the hairstyle should have sharp features and a slim neckline. Those with a fuller figure might end up looking as if they have a thick neck and would have to wear scarves or collared tops, he says.

Foo points out that it is also not advisable for girls with round- or square-shaped faces to go for the do.

'In most cases, it is not possible to re-create the hairstyle exactly. We often explain to the customer that we can only give them a similar haircut,' Foo says.

Corporate secretary Chew says her Pob has been easy to maintain.

'I can style or leave it and it'll look okay. It's also good in our hot Singaporean weather,' she says.

But the tricky bit comes when it begins to grow out.

Reporter Melody Ng, 23, who sports a Pob, hasn't had time to trim it and has seen it become very flat.

'This sort of hairstyle needs frequent cutting to maintain its shape,' she warns.

Both hairstylists Foo and Lim predict that the Pob's staying power should extend till the end of the year at least.

'It is a couple more months before the fall/winter hair trends set in. People will usually keep their current hairstyles and grow them out later for a change,' Lim says.