In the 1920s, you had Josephine Baker’s signature finger wave. In the 1930s, it was Jean Harlow’s platinum blonde sculpted set and Anna May Wong’s sleek bob with blunt bangs. The 1940s had Veronica Lake with her long curls and Rita Hayworth’s brushed-out waves with a deep side part. And how could we forget about Grace Kelly, Vivien Leigh, Lauren Bacall, and Marilyn Monroe, forever referenced in beauty still to this day? Ahead of Vogue World: Hollywood, happening this Sunday, we’re exploring the Old Hollywood glamour look.
The Start of Hollywood Glamour
It wasn’t always called Old Hollywood glamour; once upon a time, it was just the trending beauty look. While film started with the silent variety in the 1910s, it wasn’t until the golden age of Hollywood (which started in 1927 when sound was first introduced) that true movie stars were born. But with so many stars in those years, it isn’t really a question of who to credit for creating the signature style of Old Hollywood glamour, according to Rachael Gibson, the writer known as the Hair Historian. Instead, it’s more about pinpointing that common thread that all the different looks represent: “The uniting theme in all of them is elegance,” Gibson says. “[They’re] immaculate.”
The allure of the Old Hollywood glamour aesthetic is what Gibson calls a “specific vision of femininity” that people are drawn to. Celebrity hairstylist Gregory Russell agrees and calls it a classic look that works anytime and anywhere. “Old Hollywood glamour hair is one of my favorite styles,” says Russell, whose clients include Anya Taylor-Joy, Jennifer Lawrence, and Mia Goth. “It’s the timeless, glamorous styles we have seen on Hollywood starlets since Hollywood’s beginning.”
At the time, beauty provided a form of escapism. The 1910s to the 1950s included both World Wars, the Great Depression, and the start of the Civil Rights Movement; at times, real life was a stark contrast to the glamour portrayed on screen. Hollywood gave audiences a break from what Gibson says was the “banality of real life” at the time. “That kind of escapism and glamour is such an important part of why we resonate with this trend,” she says. “It harks back to something that is probably made up and not actually how life was for people. If you were a poor woman in America who didn’t have much going on but were able to do this look with your hair, that’s going to make you feel good, empowered, and beautiful.”
And though it evoked a sense of effortless glam, the style itself is anything but. Gibson points out that these looks require time and effort to pull off. “They’re extremely high-maintenance, they involve expenditure, so they are quite exclusionary even though there’s so much within [these styles],” she says. They also required products that weren’t readily available back then. Take Harlow’s pin curls, which Gibson says many tried to replicate with dangerous household chemicals. “They were using domestic bleach and laundry powder,” she says. “They used a concoction of weird stuff, and that’s the most famous person in the world at the time. And her hair gets incredibly damaged and falls out.”
Evolution of the Old Hollywood Glamour Look
Technology plays a pivotal role in how Old Hollywood glamour has transformed over the years. As film adapted from black and white to color, Gibson explains, beauty techniques had to change with it. Harlow’s hair, for example, was made platinum blonde to create dimension and contrast on black-and-white film. It was all about what would look good on film rather than what was actually attainable.
When it comes to makeup, celebrity makeup artist Nick Barose notes that the style has become softer as different lighting and camera techniques dictate what appears best in film. The evolution of red-carpet appearances has led to a need for celebrities and their makeup artists to find ways for makeup to look good in all lighting conditions. “If you look at Marilyn Monroe in some of her films, for example, a lot of times in close-ups you can see that her face was lighter than her neck,” he says. “This might have worked in the early days because it made her face pop, but if I created a makeup look like this today, I’d receive comments like, ‘Her makeup artist needs to be fired’ all over my social media.”
As technology improved, so did the products. The creation of liquid foundation that provides coverage while still appearing natural—as well as contouring techniques—has truly been game-changing, Barose says. Red lipstick, which he calls the “epitome of Old Hollywood glam,” has also evolved and now comes in different finishes and shades to match every skin tone. Even false lashes, like his favorite Lash Lash NYC in Marilyn, have come a long way, adding drama without being too obvious.
But most importantly, Barose adds, the mentality around beauty has changed. Today, people are balancing referencing the past while also putting their own spin on it. “Even though they will be going for an Old Hollywood glam look, they’re not afraid to show off their skin to make them look less formal and appear fresher,” he says.
Russell loves a “very polished” yet “simpler” approach to his modern spin on Old Hollywood hair when styling his clients. For the No Hard Feelings premiere, for example, Russell created a flatter, sleeker version of Veronica Lake’s classic waves on Lawrence. For Taylor-Joy’s appearance at the Dior Haute Couture spring 2025 show, Russell added more volume to her curls to get that Old Hollywood vibe. The key to his looks is always prepping damp hair with a mousse (he likes the Pureology Style + Protect Weightless Volume Mousse) and finishing the ends with an oil.
For makeup, Barose tries not to be too literal with his interpretation of glam too. For example, he says he’ll tone down brow arches with something like the Chanel Stylo Sourcils Haute Précision Microfine Defining Eyebrow Pencil, making them fuller and straighter to give them a less retro feel. His most recent work of Old Hollywood glam makeup includes Lupita Nyong’o’s red-lip look at this year’s BAFTA Film Awards (“This reminded me of Vivien Leigh, so we created a makeup look that had a classic red lip,” he says) and Lily Gladstone’s ’40s coral lip paired with a touch of ’80s cobalt blue liner at the Critics Choice Awards. “That’s the thing about using Old Hollywood looks as a reference,” he says. “You can add other spins to make it more fun and less serious, unless you’re doing a period piece and need to be exactly accurate.”
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The Future of Old Hollywood Glamour
All experts agree: Old Hollywood glamour is timeless, and there will always be some sort of tie-in with its classic signifiers. “To me, Old Hollywood glamour covers many decades of styles but always includes a glamorous set of waves or curls, whether it’s finger waves, a deep side parting of cascading waves, or a center part with brushed-out shiny curls,” Russell says.
For 2025 (and beyond), he thinks more fantasy and glamour will be infused into the classic brushed-out wave and that we’ll lean more into volume and texture. Barose sees more experimentation with makeup, whether that means more fuchsia and purple in place of a red lip or leaving the brows au naturel instead of perfectly arched. As with most trends, the best way to update them is to put your own unique spin on them. “We should only take glamorous elements of Old Hollywood, while celebrating inclusivity and individuality,” he says. “Make it your own.”
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