Tatterdemalion Witch's Dancing Strings

[Pennate]

I was theorycrafting a build for an upcoming game when I stumbled upon the Tatterdemalion archetype. The flavor fits the character concept remarkably well, but I have a question regarding the Dancing Strings ability:

Dancing Strings wrote:

A tatterdemalion adds animate rope to her class spell list and spells her familiar knows. She can control her clothing and cloth, rope, or woven fabric she wears in a manner otherwise identical to the prehensile hairUM hex.

This alters spells and replaces the hex gained at 1st level.

I notice that no duration is mentioned for the bolded portion. Should I assume that the Tatterdemalion is subject to the same time limits as the Prehensile Hair hex, or can the Witch use the ability at will? If the latter is true, this could be a tremendously good dip for natural attack builds, but I would lean towards the first interpretation. What are your thoughts?

[Kileanna]

As it's written I think it works just like Prehensile Hair in everything but the points mentioned in the description.
Basically, it forces you to take Prehensile Hair as your lvl 1 hex and reflavors it as animate clothes instead of hair.

[Arden Oakwald]

Is Dancing strings a Hex?

I know it replaces the 1st level hex, but, is Dancing Strings itself considered a hex?

[blahpers]

It is literally the Prehensile Hair hex in every way, save that it animates cloth fiber instead of hair.

[Craig Tierney]

While I would prefer Dancing Strings to not have a duration because that would be pretty fun to play with, otherwise identical includes limited use

Arden Oakwald wrote:

Is Dancing strings a Hex?

I know it replaces the 1st level hex, but, is Dancing Strings itself considered a hex?

In this case, because it isn't referred to as a hex, I don't think it is. Any chance of getting clarification?

[Nyerkh]

It's not a hex when it comes to qualifying for something like Extra Hex, which I assume is the unspoken question.

Not that it would be crazy for a GM to allow it, as it's very much just a re-skinned one. But still, technically nope.

The archetypes that give you specific hexes unique to them call them out explicitly - like the Tatterdemalion itself does, in fact, with its Witchweaver thing.
But Dancing Strings ? Just a (Su). One that is like a Hex in every aspect, yet isn't one.
Otherwise, they would simply have made it part of Witchweaver. Easy.
And that's probably not an accident either