Over the past year, supermodel Bella Hadid has been more experimental with her hair. She debuted bangs in June last year and then swapped her usually dark hair for honey-blonde strands in December. She even had a day-long stint with a Marilyn Monroe blonde blowout. Now, Bella is back to dark hair once again, but she’s channeling a different vintage style. For the opening of Caesar Palace's new restaurant, Stanton Social Prime, on Saturday night the model brought back the ’80s-inspired prom perm featuring tight curls and a side part.
Bella first posted her curls on TikTok, while celebrating “5 months alcohol free” at a casino. She then followed with a video of friends in an elevator, where she had swapped her black halter dress for a red Amy Shehab buckle dress with bell sleeves. She thanked makeup artist Carly Fisher for her ’80s glam look, which consisted of smoky shadow and eyes tightlined with black liner and hair stylist Tiago Goya for the curls via her Instagram story. “Made me feel so beautiful last night. Thank you,” she wrote.
This isn’t the first time that Bella has rocked and loved a perm-like hair style. She wore side-swept tight curls on the Tom Ford runway in September and an ’80s hairdo for an i-D editorial last year by hairstylist Jawara. While the model has often straightened her hair in the past and worn her hair with straight bangs, she’s recently been embracing her natural curly waves more often.
While the voluminous perm of the 1980s has proved to be a divisive hairstyle in the past, there’s no denying that tight curls are set for a major moment this year. For those with straighter hair, this may mean making an appointment at your hair salon or investing in a small barrel curling iron. For those with natural curls, however, Bella’s stamp of perm approval is a good reminder that tight curls are a mood for any time and any occasion.
