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On the seemingly never-ending, global press junket for A Star Is Born, Lady Gaga had many a beauty look. From the frosted lids in LA to her spectacular navy cat eye in Toronto, she rose to the occasion like the (beauty) star she is. And when it came to Gaga’s hair, there was a little bit of everything – from ’90s blow-outs to sculptural up ‘dos – Gaga’s famous peroxide locks were fashioned up, down, even sideways. But there was one hairstyle which kept popping up on late night couches and magazine covers alike – the curtain fringe.
Parted straight down the middle and flared at the ends, the curtain fringe is an old Hollywood classic. First there was the Bardot. Then the Kinski. Then JLO came to the party, favouring a little fringe-y flick in the ’90s (and beyond). Sienna Miller repped the style in the early noughties. While Alexa Chung punk-ed it out in the latter half of the decade, taking it from va-va-voom to London cool. Then of course the glamorous progenies – Kaia Gerber, Dakota Johnson and Bella Hadid – all of whom have drawn the curtains of late. And now Lady Gaga has the style on repeat, finished off with a top-knot.
Fronting Variety’s December issue, Gaga’s curtain bangs were front and centre; long, sweeping and soft at the edges. Haus of Gaga hairstylist Frederic Aspirias kept the drapes feathery and light on the ends, flicking them upwards with a certain Carol Brady kick, while pulling the rest of her platinum hair into a high bun.
It was a similar case in New York when Gaga appeared on the Late Show, although her Big Apple bangs were slightly messier and shaggier around her face.
And who could forget that spectacular A Star Is Born premiere in London in the archival McQueen gown. Shorter in the middle, the pieces fell longer around the bottom of the jaw framing her face (and the top-knot was taken down a notch and dressed up as a chic chignon).
Back home, celebrity and editorial stylist Anthony Nader loves a little bang. “The curtain fringe is def my go-to for those girls who want that little extra sexy flutter of cuteness and mystery,” says Nader. It’s also a great way to disguise any wrinkles, “if you’re worried about frown lines on your forehead….guess what? They get camouflaged behind fab drapes!” And for those with longer facial features, “the curtain has your name all over it. This shape will narrow the face in more, especially if your forehead is wide.”
Thanks to Lady Gaga, the curtain fringe goes bang once more. But consider these tips before drawing the curtains.
5 THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE YOU GO BANG
• You want to make sure your new feature (that’s your new bangs, of course) is looking 100% red carpet worthy. So you need to make sure they are super smooth and polished
• On damp hair use a tiny amount of medium-hold, luxe styling mousse as you want to give your bangs some “airiness”, without them looking dry and brittle – the effect a sea salt spray would achieve
• Use a medium-sized, round brush with loads of boar bristles as it takes the pain out of smoothing the roughest of hair strands to look shiny and glam
• Make sure your hairdryer has a narrow nozzle attached on the end, as this narrows down the air flow directly on the target area, to sculpt your curtain fringe
• If you have a stubborn cowlick (which unfortunately most of us do), when you’re blowing out your bangs, you need to drag / stretch down your sections in the compete opposite direction. By using this method, your curtain bangs will look symmetrical and not like they had an all-nighter…#NotCool
Tile Image: Instagram, @variety
