Met Gala Hair Had a Surprisingly Wearable Theme This Year — and It’s Easy to Copy

Stylists broke down the prep behind Misty Copeland’s ponytail, Naomi Osaka’s chignon, and two glossy brunette color moments.

At the Met Gala, the gowns usually get most of the attention. But some of the strongest beauty moments this year were actually the hair.

According to OLAPLEX, the stylists behind several of the night’s standout looks were leaning into glossy, touchable texture: hair that looked polished, but still had movement.

Misty Copeland’s Ponytail Was Designed to Move

Misty Copeland’s look is probably my favorite example of “simple” hair that was not actually simple at all.

Stylist Miles Jeffries said the overall goal was “to find ways for the hair to dance as she moves through the evening.” That makes sense for Copeland, obviously, but it also explains why the finished style didn’t look overly shellacked.

The hair was pulled back into an easy ponytail to stay close to Michael Kors’ aesthetic, but the texture was the interesting part. Jefferies wanted it to look like Copeland had worn her hair in a bun, then taken it down — leaving behind a soft, bouncy ponytail with shape instead of a perfectly straight finish.

Her prep started with OLAPLEX Nº.3PLUS Complete Repair Treatment, followed by the brand’s Nº.4CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl Shampoo and Nº.5CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl Conditioner. From there, Jefferies layered in leave-in conditioner, Nº.6 Bond Smoother, Nº.9 Bond Protector Nourishing Hair Serum, and Nº.7 Bonding Oil while blow-drying and ironing the hair without making it pin-straight.

He also added a little extra hair to give the ponytail enough weight and structure, which is a red carpet detail that makes the final look seem effortless when it absolutely was not.

Naomi Osaka’s Chignon Leaned Into Natural Texture

Naomi Osaka’s hair went in a different direction, but it had the same “polished without being frozen” feeling.

Stylist Marty Harper created a slightly wet-looking chignon that embraced her natural curly texture. The night before the Met Gala, her hair was washed and conditioned with OLAPLEX’s curl shampoo and conditioner, then treated with Nº.6 Bond Smoother before being allowed to air dry.

On the day of the event, Harper layered the smoother with Nº.7 Bonding Oil through her hair from roots to ends, then twisted it into a chignon while it was still damp. Strategic wispy pieces were left out around the hairline to soften the finish.

There is a fine line between “expensive editorial finish” and “I got caught in the rain outside the venue.” Osaka’s version stayed on the right side of that line because the texture looked intentional, not greasy or overly severe.

Glossy Brunette Color Had a Big Night, Too

Not every standout beauty detail was about styling. Tracey Cunningham’s color work on Grace Gummer and Amelia Gray leaned into the kind of glossy brunette shades that always look expensive when done well.

For Grace Gummer, Cunningham described the color as a luminous, gilded brunette — richer at the root, warmer through the mids, and softer on the ends. The goal was a liquid-silk finish, which is very red carpet language, but the actual takeaway is useful: brunette hair does not need to be flat or one-note to look classic.

Amelia Gray’s color was darker and glossier, with a soft reflective finish through the ends. Cunningham’s breakdown focused on protecting the hair during the color process and keeping the final result touchable rather than heavy.

This is where the trend feels very wearable. A shiny brunette shade with healthy-looking ends is not exactly a wild Met Gala beauty risk, but that is also why it works off the carpet. It is glamorous without requiring a sculptural headpiece or a team of people following you around with hairspray.

The Big Met Gala Hair Trend Was Controlled Texture

The best hair moments here weren’t overly stiff or polished within an inch of their lives.

Copeland’s ponytail had movement. Osaka’s chignon worked with her natural curl pattern. Gummer and Gray’s brunette shades looked glossy and healthy without feeling flat.

That’s the red carpet beauty detail I’d actually copy: hair that looks finished, but still looks like hair. And it lines up with what we saw on the Oscars red carpet this year, where some of the biggest spring beauty trends were surprisingly wearable off the carpet, too.

Read next: The Oscars Just Previewed Spring’s Biggest Beauty Trends — and Some Are Surprisingly Easy to Copy