On fashion’s biggest night, Wonderland links up with rock royalty’s hair expert, Tina Outen, for the breakdown of what goes into the ultimate red carpet ready do. 

Sure, there are bad hair days. But darling, the Met Gala ain’t one of them. But this certainty comes down to a handful of masterfully curated decisions – the perfect hairstylist, the perfect style of production, the layering of the perfect products, and a little bit of weather luck. Whilst some stars opt for the, shall we say, easier route, trusting a wind and moist proof lacquered up-do, others decide to sing a little prayer and commit to arguably the sexiest of productions – a messy blow out. The result is often what we see in its aftermath on Instagram, so many layers of hairspray being applied as they rush out of The Carlyle, The Surrey or The Mark, on their way to The Metropolitan Museum. 

But, a lot more tips and tricks go into making sure the look stays as impeccable as it can be. And fashion veteran Stella McCartney, who crossed this year’s MET red carpet in an equally as beautiful as tech-forward, FEVVERS gown, the first plant-based alternative to feathers, knows a thing or two about that. As she crossed the evening’s big stairs hand in hand with Greta Gerwig, Wonderland connected with her long-term hair stylist, Tina Outen, for the full rundown. Keep reading, and take notes…

What was the inspiration behind the look?
Chic, effortless, easy, rock and roll waves in super small tendrils to complement the Fevvers of Stella’s magical gown – the world’s first plant-based alternative to feathers!

What products did you use to create the look?
On damp hair, I applied Kevin Murphy’s Anti Gravity Spray liberally in the roots, layered with Blow Dry Ever Smooth Heat Activated Style Extender. Layered and re-layered, building guts and texture.

How did the look work with the dress/garment for the carpet?
We took super small tendrils to create waves to complement the plant-based Fevvers of Stella’s gown, leaving the hair texture light and airy to echo the gown’s sense of weightlessness and movement.

What is your favourite styling trick for red carpet hairstyling?
Trusting in a really good blowout. Achieving quality and guts in the hair using the right product, most suited to the hair texture and desired result. I found Kevin Murphy’s Blow Dry Ever Smooth Heat Activated Style Extender gave me the most incredible shine with the hot curling iron. It was defined, shiny, and held the wave perfectly. It gave me confidence to know this look was going to perform on the red carpet as desired. Just delicious.

How would you recreate this look at home?
Start on damp hair, layering Kevin Murphy’s Anti Gravity thoroughly through all roots and throughout around 2–3 inches of hair, then layer with Blow Dry Ever Smooth and blast in slightly to co-mingle the product layering. Then, taking 3–4 inch sections, use a round brush to blow dry, rolling in sections, wrapping the hair around your fingers and clipping in to allow it to set. With Anti Gravity, you can continue to layer where more shine and volume is required, especially for face-framing waves. After, brush through and take small tendrils, around 1cm in width, and wave with a heated curling iron, working in all different directions for that easy rock and roll feel. Continue all over the head, shake out and play, adding root texture with your fingers, pushing the roots around to allow for effortlessness.