In case you hadn’t already noticed, it feels like the entirety of Hollywood, from Nicole Kidman to Julianne Moore, has been ditching the long locks in favour of the French bob. However, Priyanka Chopra seems to be taking a different route into Parisian-chic, instead opting for the French Girl fringe - ooh la la!
Last night, Priyanka graced the red carpet at the London premiere of her new movie Heads of State, hand in hand with her husband Nick Jonas. (Can you get a more gorgeous couple?). And while her swishy, fringed Burberry gown turned heads, it was her hair transformation that truly took us by surprise.
Earlier in the day, Priyanka attended the film’s photocall with her usual long, luscious locks, and not a fringe in sight. The hair transformation had happened all within a couple of hours. Was it planned ahead, or perhaps a spur-of-the-moment decision?
Priyanka’s new fringe sits at a chic, lash-skimming length, gently curving into a longer, curtain bangs style that falls around the sides of her face. The Parisian-worthy fringe was paired with a sleek bun, for extra Gallic cool.
Her new look is the work of French hairstylist Thibaud Salducci, who has been a go-to of Priyanka’s for years. In fact, this isn’t the first time he’s given her a speedy makeover. Back in 2023, Priyanka surprised us all with a choppy bob, only for her long locks to return the very next evening. It leads us to wonder whether this latest magic comes courtesy of a good wig or if Priyanka’s new fringe is here to stay.
One person who definitely thinks it should be a permanent feature is multi-award-winning hairstylist Phil Smith. ‘A fringe like this will suit everyone, no matter their age,’ he tells GH. ‘I call it “Botox without a needle” because of the way it camouflages forehead lines and touches key points of the face, exaggerating some features and lifting the cheekbones to make them stand out.’ Need he say more?
He tells GH: ‘Priyanka’s fringe is particularly flattering as it isn’t a blunt cut, or a big, blocky fringe, it’s a gentle curve which starts long at the sides, with the shortest point between the brows. The hairdresser has looked at Priyanka’s face shape and cut the hair so the fringe just kisses the individual features from the edge of her cheekbones, across the eyebrows and over the bridge of the nose.’ Mwah!
To keep a fringe like this looking its best, ‘it's important to treat your fringe as a separate hairstyle’, Phil tells GH. ‘Always start by sectioning it off, then blow dry the fringe using a nozzled hair dryer and a large round brush. Go from crown to the front in a forward motion to dry it as flat as you can, just so the mid-lengths and ends are slightly bevelled inwards towards the face.’
To then recreate the rest of Priyanka’s look, Phil advises: “Brush the rest of your hair into a ponytail towards the crown and secure it with a band. Apply a tiny amount of primer, like my Phil Smith Professional Hair Miracle Primer to your hands to get a smooth, glossy shine, take fluff away and add a little bit of texture, without making the hair too heavy. You don't want anything that's going to make the hair stick in place. It's important that fringes move and the softness within them should move too.’
Once the fringe has been blow dried, ‘apply a few drops of Phil Smith Professional Hair Smooth & Shine Serum just through the mid lengths to the ends, avoiding the roots, to give it a bit of separation and keep flyaways away throughout the day,’ he says.
‘The fringe is the most important part of this look,’ he adds. ‘If your fringe looks right, the rest of the hair will look right with it. Then all you need to do is twist the ponytail into a bun and, using no more than three or four pins, secure it in place.’
And there you have it, a la Priyanka!
