Being alive during Martha Stewart's baddie era truly feels like a gift. She's become pretty familiar with sharing the occasional thirst trap in recent years (that's a sentence I never thought I'd say), and honestly, I don't think I'll ever get tired of it. Especially not after seeing the bombshell updo she's wearing in her most recent one.
On Feb. 2, Stewart hosted a dinner in Los Angeles for her skincare brand, Elm Biosciences. As a host, she obviously had to show up to up the event in her very best, so she attended wearing gold leather pants along with a butter yellow blouse and a cream cardigan. But the real masterpiece was her hair, which was lightly curled before being expertly piled on top of her head in a retro, French-style updo. The look featured a few loose pieces all around her head and a side bang that hung just above one of her eyes.
At some point in the last few years, Stewart added Chris Appleton (aka the beloved hairstylist of both Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner) to her glam team, and of course he's the brains behind the style. Shortly after the event, Appleton shared a before-and-after video of Stewart to Instagram alongside the caption, "Challenge accepted."
So far, celebrities have been loving messy ponytails and updos in 2026. It was the hairstyle of choice at this year's Golden Globe Awards, and it even made a few appearances at the Grammys earlier this week. In a previous MC story, celebrity hairstylist Rogério Cavalcante told us that "in 2026, hair isn't about perfection—it's about intention," predicting that "effortless, but never accidental" styles will be having a major moment this year.
This is good news, considering everyone loves a low effort hairstyle because of how easy they are to achieve, but they can be just as elegant and red carpet-worthy as the sleeker looks. To recreate Martha Stewart's bombshell French updo at home, read ahead to shop some essentials.
Grab a curling iron to add some thick curls to your hair.
This leave-in will provide heat protection and defend your hair against frizz.
