This year’s Met Gala theme was dedicated to Karl Lagerfeld. Guests wore elegant, timeless pieces to honour his fashion legacy with stunning hair looks that we can’t get enough of. Read on to hear from 9 industry professionals who share their favourite hair looks and how they would recreate them. From timeless up-dos to fun, voluminous curls, the hairstyles seen on the red carpet are definitely going to be recreated in salons throughout the year.
Met Gala favourite looks:
Brian Leo McCallum, Owner of Roar Hair and Beauty
Cara Delevingne
“For me, Cara Delevigne’s hair stole the red carpet at the Met Gala last night. Not only was her hair styled into the iconic shag inspired by Chanel, but it was also icy blue in tribute to Karl Lagerfeld himself. The key to this style was all in the texture. Cara’s wig was carefully cut with textured ends, wispy pieces and a statement fringe. For a contemporary finish, the hair was flicked outwards around the sides to give dimension and shape that spoke for itself. The hair had an almost wet finish that requires a high-quality serum or oil to recreate. I love the Goldwell Stylesign Creative Texture Cream for looks like this as it works to reduce flyaways but gives you the flexibility to manipulate and hold the hair in place.” Brian Leo McCallum
Alex Thaddeus, Owner of Alex Thaddeus Hairdressing
Dua Lipa
“Dua Lipa stepped onto the red carpet at the Met Gala looking like a real-life princess. From the vintage Chanel gown to the incredible statement diamond necklace and soft waves through her hair, her look was just extraordinary. Dua allowed her hair to fall freely down her back to show off the necklace and bring an air of carefree glamour to her overall look. To create this look, the hair needs to be perfectly primed before styling. A scalp treatment would help to remove any product build up and allow for a clean style whilst a conditioning treatment would help improve the appearance and texture of the hair before drying and styling into this soft wave. Her hair was gently tousled, to create this finish I would recommend using a curling wand always ensuring you alternate directions to avoid the hair looking over styled. To finish, apply a glossing serum and strong-hold hairspray in a light mist.” Alex Thaddeus
Andrew Smith, Owner of Andrew Smith Salons and Milkshake Global Ambassador
Gigi Hadid
“At this year’s Met Gala the standout hair look for me came from the stunning Gigi Hadid. Her hair was styled into long, textured beach waves, with the front section pulled back from her face and tied into a topknot. This style of waves is so on-trend for spring/summer and looks effortless yet chic. When creating this look on clients, I like to create this style on hair that hasn’t been washed for a couple of days to avoid the waves from dropping quickly or having too much frizz. A waver is a must for creating this look, taking the hair in small sections for added volume. Once you’ve worked your way around the head, finish by distributing some hair oil (the Milkshake Integrity incredible oil is one of my personal favourites) through the hair to give the waves added shine and to tame flyaways. Then, pull back two sections from the front of the face using a hair comb, join the sections together and twist to create your topknot before pinning into place. Finish by misting some hairspray through the hair to perfect the look and give it hold.” Andrew Smith
Suzie McGill, Artistic Director at Rainbow Room International
Amanda Seyfried
“I loved Amanda Seyfried’s look at this year’s Met. Her look was the epitome of elegance and glamour that takes us back to the 1930s when tight, voluminous curls were super on-trend. Today, this tight curl with added textured and more diffused style is back on-trend and should clients already have naturally wavy/curly/textured hair, it’s the time to embrace it. To create this look on clients, I would always go in with a tight barrel curler, curling in small sections for added body and volume. Comb through in sections to break up the curls and add further body. Then, mist through a texturising sea salt spray like OSiS+ Session Label Salt Spray, spritzing through the hair in sections and scrunching in with your hands to add airy texture and hold. For those with already curly/textured hair, a diffuser is one of my favourite tools for enhancing the hair whilst avoiding frizz. A texturising spray can then be sprayed through the hair to make the hair full bodied and give it that gritty, sexy finish.” Suzie McGill
Tina Farey, Editorial Director at RUSH
Anne Hathaway
“Anne Hathaway channeled a 1990s supermodel at this year’s Met Gala to replicate Karl Lagerfeld’s most famous muses and she looked incredible in doing so. Her beehive half updo with loose tendrils at the front looked super classy. The look was complete with a vintage hair piece (the signature flower of Chanel) at the back, which brought the look together and gave it a further feminine feel. To create this look, I would start by tousling the hair in sections with a heated styling iron to create soft, flowing waves before brushing through to create softness. I would then take a section at the front of the hair, leaving out two small hair pieces at the front of the face to recreate Anne’s loose tendrils and to frame her face for a more modern take on the 1990s look. Then, backcomb underneath the section using a backcombing brush to create texture and body. With the section you moved away, bring this back over the backcombed area to smooth over and pin into place at the back of the head before inserting the flower hair accessory. Finish by misting a light hold hairspray like the KMS Hairstay Working Hairspray over the hair to add hold and a soft shine.” Tina Farey
Tracey Ann Smith, ASP Global Ambassador
Ashley Graham
“Ashley Graham just oozed all things glam at last night’s Met Gala – she looked sensational. Wearing a custom Harris Reed gown which was a statement, Ashley paired this with a classic hair style with a twist – making this the standout look for me. Opting for a side parting, the hair was styled into a sleek and sophisticated look, very straight with a slight flight at the ends for a point of difference. The front section of the hair to the left side was then molded into a beautiful vintage wave pattern and placed over the hair. This instantly created a beautiful uniqueness. To recreate this look, section the hair into a side-parting then section your front section of the hair off. Next, take a small amount of ASP Affinage Styling Dream Illuminating Blow-dry Crème and distribute this throughout the hair. Then to blow-dry, use a large barrel brush and create a straight style, whilst using your brush to bend the ends slightly you give the ‘flick’ effect. Next onto the vintage wave. Dry your section straight, then you want to coat the hair in gel – yes gel! I personally use the ASP Mode Styling Tough Stuff Strong Hair Gel – it’s so important to ensure the hair is fully saturated to keep the wave in place. Next, you want to begin to create your wave to your own personal preference. Carefully wave this until your each the end of the hair. Due to the hold in the gel this should stay in place for the duration.” Tracey Ann Smith
Darrel Starkey, Hair by Darrel
Cardi B
“I am a huge fan of using wigs to channel ones inner creativity and bring their individual vision to life. Seeing this on last nights Met Gala red carpet was incredible! Cardi B is known for her love of wigs and she showed once again last night that this can completely change the overall look and perception in an instance. Cardi paired her black pvc gown with a super long, silver wig. Parted to the side this featured a lot of height at the crown and an addition of a simple black hair band brought the look together. The look channeled something of the sixties, with bouffant style volume at the crown which then flowed down her back. The front section of the hair really drew attention to the look, with the back section placed behind the shoulder to allow the dress to do the talking.”Darrel Starkey
Gill Berry Joico
Margot Robbie
“It was very much California-girl vibes for Margot Robbie at last night’s Met Gala – simple, sophisticated and absolutely stunning. Margot’s hair was parted slightly off-centre and styled with a beautiful blow-dry – slight height and a simple wave throughout. Wearing a one-shouldered, corset-inspired dress, Margot kept her hair true to self, to ensure the attention was very much on the outfit. To recreate this look, it is important to maximise shine and ensure you don’t over compensate on the volume. Prep the hair with the Joico Blonde Life Shampoo and Conditioner – this removes any unwanted warmth or brassy tones. Next, evenly distribute a small amount of the Joico Blonde Life Brilliant Glow Brightening Oil. When blow-drying, use a large barrel brush and slightly lift the hair at the root to create height. Next blowdry the hair with a slight wave throughout. When it comes to the front section, create more of a wave as this will flow over the shoulders nicely.”Gill Berry
Ainsley Gray, F&M Hairdressing
Karlie Kloss
“I could not have loved Karlie Kloss’s look at the Met anymore if I tried. Wearing a high neck full Loewe gown, her hair was styled into a simple yet stunning mid-height ponytail – the perfect style for this dress. With the look featuring a hight neck, taking the hair away from the face allowed Karlie to show off the styling to it’s own accord, and the mid-rise ponytail was the perfect choice. Keeping it simple and sleek, the ponytail was slightly waved, with the hair flowing down her back. The addition of the oversized bow finished this look perfectly. To recreate this look, part the hair into the centre and bring it back to mid height – between the crown and the nape of the neck – secure with a hair band (make sure the hair is as sleek as possible). Next, with the loose flowing hair, use a large barrel tong and ever so slightly tong this to give the flowing wave effect – do not over tong her. Allow to cool then brush out. To finish, as a beautiful shine spray and attach your oversized bow.”Ainsley Gray
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