Jennifer Coolidge is known for many things. Most notably, there’s her larger-than-life persona, her iconic character Tanya McQuoid in White Lotus, and her penchant for classic red-carpet glam. The latter certainly held true at last night’s Screen Actors Guild Awards. Coolidge walked the red carpet in an elegant Saint Laurent gown that she paired with diamond-encrusted jewelry. The real star of the look, at least in our opinion, was her bombshell retro hairstyle. With lots of volume, big loose curls and a sleek black headband keeping it in place, Coolidge channeled a classic French look popularized by Brigitte Bardot in the 60s. Stefani, Rita Ora and Adele as clients. “I really wanted Jen to be the ultimate bombshell,” he says. “This look is all about big volume and soft waves.” Keep scrolling for a step-by-step guide to recreating Coolidge’s red carpet hairstyle.
For starters, Knight prepped Coolidge’s wet hair with this mousse. The formula is lightweight and offers flexible hold and body. He applied it directly to a brush and worked it through her hair for a “perfectly even distribution.” Take it from us; do not sleep with mousse if you want to create a voluminous hairstyle. It is very helpful especially for those of us who have fine hair.
Here’s the brush Knight used to evenly distribute the mousse through Coolidge’s hair. He said “the two-layer tines gently detangle hair while evenly spreading the mousse.”
Once he was sure the product was evenly spread, he reached for the hair dryer. Using medium heat, he blow-dried Coolidge’s hair while using a round brush to accentuate volume.
Before applying heat directly to the hair with a curling iron, Knight sprayed this hairspray into each section for two reasons. The first was thermal protection. (Protects hair up to 410ºF.) Second was staying power without stiffness. (Keep in mind that a Brigitte Bardot look is all about volume with movement.)
From there, Knight started curling her hair. “I took a 1.5-inch curling iron, pulled two-inch sections, and wrapped it around the barrel,” he says. “I curl all the hair from the top of the ears towards the face, and all the hair above it away from the face. Doing this is flattering as it gives the shape a voluminous kick.”
Next, it was time to tease Coolidge’s hair. “Once the hair was curled, I used a tail comb to tease the hair at the crown as much as I could,” says Knight. “It’s important for the hair to stand up straight if you want it to withstand brushing.”
Once that was done, he applied this hybrid volumizing and texture spray all over her length. This added even more volume and body to Coolidge’s hair. The bigger the better.
After the volume and texture hybrid spray was applied, he went ahead and smoothed the top layers of Coolidge’s hair with this brush so it had a voluminous but perfect look.
“We added a black band at the front of the hair to give it a ’60s Bardot vibe,” says Knight. “You can also add a big ribbon or barrette, whatever you like!” All in all, it’s not a very difficult red carpet style to recreate on your own.
Just don’t forget to spray some hairspray. Knight says the finishing touch was a “generous cloud” of this hairspray to hold the style all night. Works for all hair types and offers a firm hold without stiffness.
A matte faux leather headband? Yes please.
These are comfortable and incredibly economical.
We like this puffy version of a classic headband.
This headband is stretchy and has an ultra-wide fit.
It doesn’t have to be a headband. You can also channel a ’60s Bardot vibe with a simple black bow.
Then recreate Zendaya’s Dreamy Pink SAG Awards makeup with the exact same products