Mikey Madison's Windswept French Twist Finds the Beauty in Imperfection

Mikey Madison at the 2025 pre oscars dinner

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 26 February 2025

Mikey Madison's awards season aesthetic has been a study in Hollywood tropes made new again. Classic glamour through the ages—with definite nods to the '50s, '60s, and '70s—has been her guiding principle on the campaign trail, whether she's doing press in a pastel suit or walking the Golden Globes red carpet in a strapless gold gown. The Anora actor may be new to the role of leading lady, but she certainly knows how to look the part.

Her star power was particularly blinding on Feb. 25, when Madison joined the likes of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo for the 97th Annual Academy Awards Nominees Dinner at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Clad in a Bill Blass strapless blue and black floral brocade gown sourced from Shrimpton Couture, her 1987 vintage pull eschewed trends in favor of pure archival elegance. With a big velvet bow and a tiered bustle, the back of her dress was just as beautiful as the front. Such was the case, too, with the French twist updo that adorned her hair.

A photo of Mikey Madison sporting a strapless floral Bill Blass gown at the 97th Annual Academy Awards Nominees Dinner. — Mikey Madison sports a strapless floral Bill Blass gown at the 97th Annual Academy Awards Nominees Dinner.

A photo of Madison posing in a 1987 archival gown topped with a black bow and a tiered bustle running down her back. — Madison poses in a 1987 archival gown topped with a black bow and a tiered bustle running down her back.

Per InStyle, Madison has a "very collaborative process" with her hairstylist Rena Calhoun that begins with choosing a dress and jewelry. From there, they begin to swap ideas and inspiration for her glam. With that approach in mind, it's easy to see how they might have landed on the windswept chignon she wore to her pre-Oscars dinner. With a middle part and wavy semi-tucked tendrils framing her face, her elegant updo called attention to both her stunning bone structure and her dazzling diamond earrings.

A photo of Mikey Madison showing off her windswept French twist at the 97th Annual Academy Awards Nominees Dinner. — Mikey Madison shows off her windswept French twist at the 97th Annual Academy Awards Nominees Dinner.

Her waist-length brunette mane was given plenty of volume at the crown, then rolled into a low twist for a timeless look. That said, the texture of her blowout wasn't entirely smooth, giving the finished style a little bit of modern grit and edge.

A photo of Madison flashing the back of her brunette chignon. — Madison flashes the back of her brunette chignon.

Mikey Madison's romantic French twist is a testament to the beauty of imperfection. Her updo looks a little lived-in, and that's the whole point.

Hanna Lustig is a staff writer at Marie Claire, where she gets to gab every day about the topics she holds most dear: fashion, beauty, and celebrity. Hanna’s editorial journey began with formative internships at Elle and InStyle, where she was lucky enough to work for some of the smartest women in media while she was still in college at the University of Tennessee. Hanna then accepted a digital culture reporting fellowship at Insider, where she helped carve out a new beat dedicated to covering influencers. Those experiences later served her well as a staff writer at Glamour, where she developed a knack for spinning quick turnaround celebrity news and trend reporting into juicy feature stories. Some of her greatest hits include an earnest ode to the no-pants trend, this meticulously reported feature exploring the rise of endoscopic facelifts, this snappy take on the Chanel-designed fantasy of Sofia Richie’s wedding, this tribute to WAGs past and present, and this timeline of Katie Holmes’s life and career as told through her denim collection.

Diane Keaton once hung up on Hanna during an interview, but thankfully that mishap did not derail what has otherwise been a deeply fulfilling career writing for and about women. As one of Marie Claire's resident experts on style and culture, her current coverage ranges from exploring TikTok's contrast makeup theory and the return of the boat shoe trend to interviews with costume designers for hit shows like Nobody Wants This and The Penguin. When she’s not at work, Hanna can probably be found listening to pop music, talking to her dog, and gossiping with her best friends. For more of Hanna’s perfect opinions on pop culture, you can follow her on Instagram and X.

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