Lisa Rinna arrived at the 2026 Emmy Awards on September 14 with a hair switch-up that immediately stood out on the red carpet: a sleek, slicked-back style with a deep side part, a clear departure from the shaggy, layered cut she has worn for years. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum walked the carpet alongside husband Harry Hamlin, and the smoothed-down hair became one of the most talked-about beauty details of her appearance.
Rinna paired the polished hair with a black gown featuring sculptural off-the-shoulder sleeves and a dramatic thigh-high slit, a look multiple outlets described as one of the boldest silhouettes of the night. Her makeup leaned into the same graphic mood, with a smoky eye anchoring the look and keeping the overall effect sleek rather than soft. The combination of the severe side part and the high-slit gown gave the appearance a sharper, more editorial edge than Rinna's usual red carpet styling.
The hair change is notable because Rinna has built a recognizable beauty identity around texture and volume. Over the past two years she has cycled through a platinum bouffant, a cropped pixie, and a spiky voluminous bob, but her most enduring signature has been a shaggy, face-framing cut with piecey layers. Seeing her flatten that texture into a slicked, center-of-attention side part reads as a deliberate reset rather than a one-off styling choice, especially heading into awards season, when hairstyle pivots from established stars tend to draw outsized attention.