Kaia Gerber Copies Cindy Crawford’s Iconic 1993 Oscars Blowout—Down to the Hot Rollers

Hairstylist Clayton Hawkins exclusively tells 'Marie Claire' how the look-alike style came about.

kaia gerber at the tiff awards
(Image credit: Getty)

Like mother, like daughter takes on a very literal meaning when you’re Cindy Crawford and Kaia Gerber.

The two are near doppelgängers on a typical day. Give them the same hairstyle, and their look-alike nature reaches an entirely new level. That’s precisely what happened for the Sept. 12 premiere of Shell at the Toronto International Film Festival. For the red carpet event, Gerber pulled inspiration from Crawford’s 1993 Oscars appearance—right down to the white bandage dress and high-volume blowout, hairstylist Clayton Hawkins exclusively tells Marie Claire.

“We definitely wanted to pay homage to Cindy’s classic blowout,” Hawkins tells me. “The look is iconic for a reason.” The particular hairstyle doesn’t just copy Crawford’s bouncy curls and heavy volume at the crown—it also mimics her identifiable deep side part. “I’m a millennial so I’ll always love a side part, but I think people in general are being less rigid when it comes to parting their hair in one certain way,” Hawkins adds.

To achieve such dramatic height (I’d guess Gerber’s hair has a two-inch lift), Hawkins had to come prepared with some out-of-the-norm items in his kit. “I needed a jumbo two-inch curling iron (it’s crucial), as well as hot rollers,” Hawkins shares. Once the hair was set, cooled, and brushed out, Hawkins worked a generous spritz of Sexy Hair’s Volume and Texture Spray through Gerber’s hair.

kaia gerber and cindy crawford same hairstyle

The resemblance between the mother-daughter duo is uncanny.

(Image credit: Getty)

The Library Science founder didn’t stop the tit-for-tat with hair. She copied her mom’s 1993 Academy Awards makeup, too. Makeup artist Dana Delaney, who also works with Laura Harrier and Ayo Edebiri, gave Gerber a mauve lip and a slightly smoky brown eyeshadow. While the inspiration is from 30 years ago, both of these colors are proving to be huge 2024 fall makeup trends.

That in mind, shop everything you need to recreate Gerber’s throwback beauty look, below.

Samantha Holender
Beauty Editor

Samantha Holender is the Beauty Editor at Marie Claire, where she reports on the best new launches, dives into the science behind skincare, and shares the breakdown on the latest and greatest trends in the beauty space. She's studied up on every ingredient you'll find on INCI list and is constantly in search of the world's glowiest makeup products. She's constantly tracking the biggest nail and hair trends to pop up in the beauty space, going backstage during fashion weeks, tracking celebrity looks, and constantly talking to celebrity hair stylists, nail artists, and makeup artists. Prior to joining the team, she worked as Us Weekly’s Beauty and Style Editor, where she stayed on the pulse of pop culture and broke down celebrity beauty routines, hair transformations, and red carpet looks. Her words have also appeared on Popsugar, Makeup.com, Skincare.com, Delish.com, and Philadelphia Wedding. Samantha also serves as a board member for the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME). She first joined the organization in 2018, when she worked as an editorial intern at Food Network Magazine and Pioneer Woman Magazine. Samantha has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from The George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs. While at GWU, she was a founding member of the school’s HerCampus chapter and served as its President for four years. When she’s not deep in the beauty closet or swatching eyeshadows, you can find her obsessing over Real Housewives and all things Bravo. Keep up with her on Instagram @samholender.