Helen Mirren is, unquestionably, an ageless beauty at 79, so who better to show us how to wear an accessory that’s most commonly associated with girls a tenth of her age? It may well be something that’s fallen off your radar since your school days, but let’s take a moment to cast an eye over Helen’s latest red-carpet look and reconsider.
The actress cut a stylish figure at the Victoria & Albert Museum, where she was attending a Cartier VIP private view. The perfectly cut crimson dress and pearls were vintage Mirren, but what really caught our eye was the red velvet hairband sweeping back her trademark silver hair.
To keep the look even more tonal, Helen opted for a shiny red lipstick that neatly echoed her outfit and accessory. If you’re taking notes at the back, this is the way to ensure a hairband stays stylish, rather than schoolgirl. You need to make the world see it’s a very considered, deliberate beauty statement and definitely not a ‘day-three hair in need of wash’.
‘As the hairband is something that’s associated with school days, it’s often assumed that it’s an accessory women outgrow,’ says Syd Hayes, celebrity hairdresser and BaByliss ambassador. ‘However, as Helen Mirren proves, it can look chic and help pull an outfit together. The key is to wear a hairband with polished, “finished” hair, so it’s part of the overall look rather than something to scrape back off-duty hair.’
Syd’s favourite new tool for quick polish is the BaByliss Air Wand: ‘it does the job of a hairdryer, straightener and volumising styling in one,’ he says. ‘For this look, I’d recommend drying your hair with the new Smoothing Brush attachment so you get a finish that’s sleek without being flat, then sliding the hairband into place.’
If you fancy giving this look a try, we’ve put together our edit of accessories to shop. We’re with the band!
