Updos Got Upgraded at the 2024 Met Gala

Beauty looks have run the gamut tonight: Zoe Saldana, Madelyn Cline, and Jessica Beil arrived with mermaid waves. Hair accessories appeared on Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Zendaya, and Sarah Jessica Parker. But the updos that graced the 2024 Met Gala red carpet were, quite literally, the most statuesque standouts. It’s not just because they were shiny and sleek and somehow managed to sideswipe every unwanted flyaway (but that’s really impressive, too).

The likes of Gabrielle Union and Keke Palmer appeared to be housing oblong objects inside their updos. With hair standing at a perfect angle (45 degrees for Union and 90 degrees for Palmer), both actresses made a case for a larger-than-life, structural updo. Union’s updo was secured with a silver pin, while Palmer’s hair seemingly defied gravity.

Architectural buns and ponytails weren’t the only updos to make a statement. A handful of stars—including Emily Ratajkowski and Jennifer Lopez—leaned into texture. For Ratajkowski, that looked like a nod to the early aughts as she took the Y2K spiky bun for an elevated spin. Lopez, for her part, leaned into the power of teasing (the Tangle Teezer Backcombing Hairbrush was hairstylist Lorenzo Martin’s MVP). Her hair was twisted into a full and voluminous topknot and secured with TRESemme Extra Hold Hairspray.

While these elegant—and somewhat avant-garde—updos were a welcome surprise on the red carpet, Marie Claire predicted period-inspired updos would be a popular style. “There is going to be a nod to historical glamour, with influences from the lavish times of Marie Antoinette and other eras,” hairstylist and founder of Second Floor Salon Rogerio Cavalcante told us last week.

We’ll hold off saying we-told-you-so, so instead, scroll ahead to peruse the best updo hairstyles from the 2024 Met Gala.

Aya Nakamuri

Teyana Taylor

Emma Chamberlain

Zendaya