Look of the Week: Elle Fanning revives the ‘60s beehive

By Leah Dolan, CNN

(CNN) — In an age ruled by neatly slicked buns, it’s easy to forget there was a time before extra-hold gel — when hair was encouraged to expand rather than contract. At the LA premiere for “A Complete Unknown” Tuesday night, Elle Fanning took it upon herself to remind us of those halcyon days, with a bouncy blonde beehive that acted as a portal to the past.

Her 1960s-style up-do was finished with a pair of tousled pigtails, secured with two crystal hair-ties which doubled as Fanning’s jewelry for the evening. The actor — who plays Bob Dylan’s girlfriend Sylvie Russo in James Mangold’s upcoming film — arrived onto the red carpet in a custom white Gucci silk gown trimmed with crystal embellishments.

Stacked hair has shifted in and out of vogue since the 18th century, when Marie Antoinette popularized “le pouf” — a high mass of hair so heavily decorated and adorned it often required a cushion to keep its shape. In 1960 it was reimagined by Chicago-based stylist Margaret Vinci Heldt, the official mother of the beehive, and quickly became one of the most recognizable hairstyles of the 20th century. The conical pile of locks were inspired by the silhouette of fez and pillbox hats beloved by Jackie Onassis and fixed into place using a mixture of pins and copious hairspray. It was a signature style for Brigitte Bardot, Barbara Streisand, Dolly Parton and, this side of the millennium, by British singer Amy Winehouse.

Yet although the retro look has been making a slow and steady return, it’s not to be confused with the hair crowns of yore. Today, height is no longer the primary metric of success for a beehive, as celebrities and brands opt for a more subtle lift. For Versace’s Spring-Summer 2024 runway, models were dressed in swingin’ sixties mini-dresses and given tasteful miniature bouffants. Similarly, at Bora Aksu’s Spring-Summer 2025 shows, models sported twin sets, cats eye sunglasses and towering ‘dos. And while Nicola Coughlan, Zendaya and Kaia Gerber have all embraced the power of hair-teasing this year, the aim for this new style is less Marge Simpson, more muted.

While Fanning’s mid-century style is a welcome break from the ballerina buns du jour, it’s still a far cry from the mantra most associated with Dolly Parton: “the higher the hair, the closer to Heaven.”

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