Charlize Theron didn’t just wear the looks at The Odyssey world premiere—she gave an award-winning masterclass in glam. A black Sarah Burton for Givenchy gown with white gloves for the carpet, a red version with black gloves for the after-party and hair that held its precision through both, thanks to her long-time hair magician and friend, Adir Abergel.
According to Abergel, the concept came down to what may sound like a rather simple details. Both gowns were built around sculptural bows running down the back, and that served as the starting point for the hair.
“The inspiration came straight from the dresses,” Abergel says. “Charlize wore two Sarah Burton for Givenchy gowns for the night—a black dress with white gloves for the premiere, and a red dress with black gloves for the after-party—both built around sculptural bows down the back. I saw those bows as an echo of The Odyssey’s poster, which had the helmet, and the spine running down it. The goal was to build a hair shape with the same tension as the dress—quiet and minimal from the front, but full of structure and detail from the side and back.”
The duo has made a habit of reworking her signature bob for major moments, and this look was no exception. “Charlize and I love reinventing the bob together,” he says. “Every version is an opportunity to explore a new shape, silhouette and feeling. For this look, I created a half-up half-down style with intentional architecture, a polished, lifted crown with soft movement and undone pieces left on the ends. It’s that balance of structure and femininity that makes it feel modern, tailored and effortless—designed to transition seamlessly from the premiere to the after-party.”
To get there, Abergel built the look in three steps. He prepped Theron’s hair with Virtue’s Damage Reverse Serum ($60), then applied Virtue’s Un-frizz Cream ($44) to control frizz and smooth the top and sides. He finished with Virtue Healing Oil ($46) throughout, for shine and softness without weighing the crown’s structure down.
The result held its shape across two very different dresses and two very different rooms—proof that a great hair concept, like a great gown, is built from the inside out.
