Met Gala 2025: 6 celebrity hair looks we love and how to recreate them
Tailoring ruled on the red carpet at the 2025 Met Gala.
The biggest stars from the worlds of fashion, showbiz and sport descended on New York last night for the opening of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s latest fashion exhibition, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, which explores the history of Black dandyism.
The event – co-chaired by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, musician Pharrell Williams, actor Colman Domingo, rapper A$AP Rocky, Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton and basketball player LeBron James – saw the steps of the Met transformed with a navy blue and floral carpet, with attendees choosing ensembles to fit the dress code ‘Tailored for You’.
It was no surprise that many celebrities chose suits for the occasion, or gowns featuring traditional tailoring fabrics such as pinstripe or tweed.
“It wasn't too over the top, but it was very glamorous,” says Paul Edmonds of the 2025 Met Gala fashion, highlighting Kylie Jenner’s Ferragamo gown, made from herringbone material, as a standout look.
“Most people stuck to the theme, which was quite sartorial and tailored, and I think Kylie Jenner did a really good job.”
As for the hair, it fell into three main trends.
“There were those who embraced their natural texture, like Cardi B with her afro bob, which I thought looked great, then you had others with wavy hair worn down, which was quite undone, but very soft,” Paul explains. “Then you had all the chignons that were very tight, either central or side parted and tied back.”
While some celebs chose edgy hair styles or concealed their locks under a hat, others gave us gorgeously wearable looks, providing ample inspiration as we head into the summer social season.
If you’ve got a wedding, a day at the races or a summer soiree coming up, why not try a red carpet-inspired hairstyle to complement your outfit?
Here, Paul talks us through his six favourite Met Gala 2025 celebrity hair looks and explains how to recreate them, at home or with the help of a hairdresser…
1. Shakira’s mermaid waves
Pop icon Shakira went full-on princess glamour in a form-fitting pink Prabal Gurung dress with a huge train, her hair teased into cascading waves.
“The waves were down to her waist – I think she had quite a lot of extensions in there, but it did look incredible,” Paul says, explaining that this voluminous look can be created with small barrel tong or bendy foam curlers.
“Start by rough drying with a heat protection spray, then apply volume mousse on damp hair to give you that hold and body, working it well through.”
After tonging the hair in small sections or rolling it up with the bendy curlers, heat it gently with a hairdryer (we use a hood dryer in salon) then leave it to cool to allow the waves to set.
“Depending on how curly or wavy you want it, you either brush the hair through or just use your fingers lightly to comb through and break up the curls,” Paul continues. “Finish with a bit of the new Kérastase oil drops on the midlengths and ends.”
2. Dua Lipa’s wet-look bob
Pop star Dua Lipa was one of several celebrities who paid homage to Black hair history by having her locks shaped into wet-look ‘swoops’ on her forehead.
“Dua Lipa looked amazing,” Paul says. “Her hair almost looked plastic, and the chignon was really nice and tight.”
To create the high-shine look, start with a generous helping of gloss gel, he explains: “Apply it section by section, pulling the hair into a ponytail, then wrap the ponytail around the base and pin it into a chignon, leaving four small sections out.” Those sections will become your swoops.
If you’re a dab hand with a tail comb, coax the strands into curls laying flat on the forehead and spritz with hair spray to hold. It can be tricky to get this step right, however, in which case, book in for a hair-up appointment and allow a hairdresser to help.
3. Lala Anthony’s elegant up-do
American actor and TV personality Lala Anthony paid tribute to pioneering Black designer Virgil Abloh, who died in 2021, with an archival Off-White gown, her hair piled high into a chic up-do.
“This can work on anyone who has long hair, it’s elegant and simple for a hairdresser to do,” says Paul, but you may struggle to get the requisite height and smoothness if you’re doing it yourself at home.
“The hair is taken up into a ponytail and divided into sections, then the sections are backcombed, placed into curls and pinned ontop of the head. It’s very old school elegance.”
To create grip and hold, he says: “Apply mousse to dry hair, sleeking the hair back into the ponytail. Using a large barrel tong, go over the ends of the ponytail before pinning the curls. Hair spray to finish.”
4. Nicole Kidman’s ‘bixie’ cut
Oscar-winning actor Nicole Kidman unveiled a dramatic transformation on the Met Gala red carpet, her hair chopped into a ‘bixie’ (midway between a bob and a pixie) cut crafted by hair stylist Adir Abergel.
“It was a razored bob, which I thought looked amazing, it really suited her,” Paul says. “The underneath section is now darker with the ends lighter, which could be balayage, and I really like the way it was styled so it wasn’t slicked to her head.”
Starting with mousse or curl gel on damp hair, the key to creating this kind of shape is directing the airflow from the hairdryer and keeping enough tension as you move through the sections with a large round brush.
“What they've done with Nicole’s hair is blow-dried it and then taken the back sections and sprayed them into place to create the pixie illusion,” Paul explains.
“The front sections they’ve kept fuller and left them down to give that kind of controlled bob look, and finished with about a can of hair spray!”
5. Gigi Hadid’s retro rolls
Gigi Hadid brought vintage pin-up glamour to the 2025 Met Gala, topping her golden sequinned Miu Miu gown – inspired by iconic Black dancer Josephine Baker – with a 1940s style ‘victory rolls’.
“To create this double roll, start with mousse applied to damp hair,” Paul says. “It needs to be blow-dried and put into fairly large rollers then put under a hood dryer for half an hour.”
When the curlers are removed, take the front sections and “wrap them up into two rolls, using lots of bobby pins and hair spray to keep them in place.” Brush the ends out, and if you need a bit of extra shape, use tongs or straighteners to curve the loose ends under.
6. Anne Hathaway’s power ponytail
Anne Hathaway highlighted a sartorial staple with her Carolina Herrera ensemble, teaming a crisp white shirt with a shimmering floor-length skirt, her hair swept up into a voluminous ponytail.
“It's hard to get a really good ponytail, but Anne’s was very well executed. It’s got a slightly 60s feel to it,” Paul says. “I think it was probably enhanced with a ponytail hair piece.”
This sassy style can be done on freshly-washed or second-day hair, because you’re going to start by applying gel at the roots before brushing the hair back and gathering it into two ponytails.
“I'd say this is a two-level ponytail,” Paul explains. “There's one that's quite high up on the crown and one slightly lower, then the hair piece is wrapped around them both to disguise the hair ties and give that extra volume.”
To finish, run a bit gloss oil “through the mid-lengths and ends just to hold the strands together. What you don't want on long hair is for it to bunch.”
Met Gala mode
This year’s sartorially focused Met Gala brought us some gorgeous celebrity hairstyles, with retro looks leading the way.
From sophisticated up-dos and wet-look curls to flowing waves and brilliant bobs, why not try a Met Gala-inspired style for your next glitzy social event?
Book a celeb-worthy blow-dry or hair-up appointment with one of the pros at Paul Edmonds London.