It’s always newsworthy when a black-tie event calls for anything but black-tie hair. And, look, let’s not pretend: even the most “undone” looks on a night like this take a team, a full kit and hours in the chair. Nothing about “effortless” is actually effortless.
But there’s something refreshing about a red carpet that skips the towering updos and the glossy, clearly done curls. That’s what we got at this year’s Emmys—hair that leaned soft and romantic instead of sculpted, pieces left loose instead of pinned within an inch of their life. It read like ease, not perfection, even if perfection is exactly what it took to get there.
Ahead, celebs who proved romantic, effortless (looking) hair isn’t going anywhere.
1 / 8
Michelle Pfeiffer
The Margo’s Got Money Troubles producer stuck to sleek, long layers with soft ends and face-framing pieces left loose for easy volume without overworking it.
Getty Images / Monica Schipper
2 / 8
Olivia Munn
The Your Friends & Neighbors star kept it timeless with a classic blowout, pairing a crisp center part with strands smoothed to a sleek, glass-like finish.
Getty Images / John Shearer
3 / 8
Dakota Fanning
Nominated for her role in Peacock’s All Her Fault, Fanning kept it simple: hair down, straight and center-parted, left to fall past her shoulders with barely any added texture.
Getty Images / John Shearer
4 / 8
Emmy Rossum
Rossum let her natural texture take center stage, with curls left loose and full for a voluminous, romantic shape that felt totally her own.
Getty Images / John Shearer
5 / 8
Zendaya
Nominated for her third Emmy for her role as Rue Bennett in Euphoria, Zendaya debuted a short, tousled pixie—a look celebrity hairstylist Coree Moreno calls “feminine and refined with a little rebellion.”
Getty Images / Monica Schipper
6 / 8
Kristen Bell
The Nobody Wants This star wore her hair in a loose half-up style, with the crown pulled back and the rest left in soft, undone waves with plenty of face-framing texture.
Getty Images / Kevin Mazur
7 / 8
Nicole Kidman
Celebrity hairstylist Lorenzo Martin pulled Kidman’s strands back in a loose, wispy updo with curtain bangs left down. He added soft texture with a curling iron and K18’s AirWash Dry Shampoo ($48) for “effortless movement”—proof that even an updo can read undone in the right hands.
Getty Images / Amy Sussman
8 / 8
Mariska Hargitay
Celebrity hairstylist Adir Abergel was inspired by “early-2000s undone hair” when creating the Emmys host’s effortless waves. His goal was for the hair to read “as the loose, glamorous counterpoint to the sculpted, saturated orange-red gown.” Mission accomplished.
Getty Images / Amy Sussman
