27 Holiday Party Hairstyles For Every Texture and Length

Hairstylist Vernon François molded Amandla Stenberg’s braids along their forehead in a shape that resembled finger waves from the 1920s, for a look that was intricate, innovative, and incredibly beautiful.

Anya Taylor-Joy coated the top of her messy half-up ponytail with flecks of gold leaf, offering up a conceptual way to bring on the festive bling.

The perfect way to add an old Hollywood touch to any hairstyle: a silk hair accessory. We love the black option picked by hairstylist Tony Mendina for Zendaya‘s 2022 Grammmys look.

Yara Shahidi‘s curly high bun would be cute without any additions. But look very closely and you can see that hairstylist Nikki Nelms used Shahidi’s own hair as an accessory, braiding it and pinning the plait around the base of the bun, almost like a tiara.

Pearl hair accessories are one of the year’s biggest beauty trends (just step into any high street store and you’ll understand), and we love the way Pixie Geldof used them to pin her layers back out of her face. It’s a very simple look that still makes a pretty, party-appropriate statement.

If you’re rocking a protective style this Winter, try throwing your hair into a classic French twist like hairstylist Nikki Nelms did with Zoë Kravitz’s braids for the Vanity Fair Oscar Party back in February.

Storm Reid has such strong hair game that it was hard to choose just one that would could work for a party. But for the festive season, we can’t wait to copy her high braided ponytail that she punctuated with dainty gold beads.

If you’re someone who likes to have your hair up and out of your face, a sleek ballerina bun is a great option that looks quite fancy but is actually a low-maintenance style to create. We love how Neelam Gill dressed up the classic hairstyle with a sharp side parting and a pair of statement earrings.

By pulling her freshly blow-dried hair into a pristine half-up style, Maude Apatow gets the best of both worlds: her hair out of her face, but her gorgeous waves still on display.

Anderson took a ballerina a bun and made it infinitely more interesting by using her baby hairs – as well as some face-framing strands – to create a beautiful design of loops and swirls along one side of her forehead.

We love the juxtaposition of the tight Dutch braids with Nathalie Emmanuel’s beautiful, fluffy curls that almost create a halo-effect around her face.

The ’60s-style high pony (or half-pony in Turner’s case) was all over the red carpet in 2019, and it’s not hard to see why: the hairstyle is dressy without looking prissy, the height of the ponytail is extremely flattering (and gives your face a tiny bit of a lift), and, if done right, it creates the illusion of volume, even if you have thin, stick-straight hair.

Alicia Keys may be going makeup-free these days, but when it comes to her hair, she’s going all out. There’s lot of elements to this style – the sleek-as-glass front half, the looped braids that create a hair sculpture in the back, the gold chains woven throughout – that will surely have fellow partygoers coming in for a closer look.

Short on time and spending cash? Take a cue from Jourdan Dunn and throw your hair into a low bun, then starting right above the ear, slide a dozen or so hair grips along one side all the way to the start of the chignon. The supermodel chose colorful grips to match her dress, but we like the idea of using silver and gold ones to add a bit of festive flair.

With her braids wrapped the crown of her head, the silhouette of Lupita Nyongo’s updo from the Little Monster‘s New York premiere not only gives the illusion of a 1960s beehive, but it also creates a gorgeous (and superflattering) line from her chin up to the top of the braids.

We know what you’re thinking and no, you don’t need naturally long hair to try out Clarke’s sleek, waist-length look. All you need is a straightener and some extensions. Check out our handy hair extensions 101 guide if you don’t know where to start.

If you’re one of the many people who cut their hair into a bob or a lob in 2019, then look no further than Cara Delevingne’s tousled, half-braided style.

First, wrap medium sections around a medium-size, clampless curling iron to create soft waves from root to ends, combing them through with your fingers to break them up into soft bends. Create a deep side part and then take the hair on the same side of the part (so if the part is on your right side, you’re going to take the hair on the right side of your head) and create three French or Dutch braids that start at the hairline and end right before the back of your head. When you’re finished, spray the hair that’s left loose with a texturizing spray to add volume and even more texture.

With a few tiny tweaks and a lot of texturizing spray, a simple ponytail you’d normally wear to the gym can be transformed into a chic-as-hell party hairstyle. Case in point: Annabelle Wallis’s low, ever-so-slightly tousled ponytail that she paired with a gown and diamond earrings on the red carpet. Take note of the pieces of hair covering the tops of her ears, the tiny bit of volume at the crown, and the very subtle waves added throughout the tail.

Sometimes the teeniest detail that makes all the difference when it comes to doing your hair for a party. To add some flair to very a simple, sleek blowout, Maya Jama slicked down one single baby hair in the most perfect loop that not only dressed things up, but also didn’t detract from her epic diamond necklace and winged liner.

Here’s an example of how a very simple style – Zazie Beetz’s braids are gathered at the very top of her her head and secured with a black elastic – can still look elegant and dramatic. It also offers a great way to show off a pair of statement earrings.

Sparkly hair accessories are the easiest way to make any hairstyle feel festive, whether it’s a barrette, bedazzled hair grip, or twinkly headband, like the one Sweeney wore with her messy low chignon.

We’d be smiling too if our hair was covered in sparkly purple stars. To create the look, hairstylist Lewis Pallett first sprayed Emma Thompson‘s pixie with stronghold hairspray “so the glitter had something to stick to,” he told POPSUGAR. He then broke out a stencil (from the craft store) and loose glitter (biodegradable, of course), sprinkling out the smallest bit of glitter onto the hair to add the stars. “You only need a small layer of glitter; if it’s too thick, when you move the stencils away, the glitter will fall off,” he added.

Celebrities love slicking their hair back on the red carpet, and as long as you have the right products, you can pull the stunning look off in real life, too. The trick is to not slop a bunch of gel into your hair. Start off by blow drying your hair back, away from your face. Once that’s done, douse all of your hair with mousse, concentrating most the product from the hairline to the mid-lengths. Let it air dry (or dry it gently with a diffuser attachment) and top it all off with hair oil or shine spray to give it that high-gloss, reflective finish.

Remember what we said about hair accessories? Barbie Ferreira shows off another way to try out the pearl trend that requires minimal time and effort.

If your hair’s naturally curly, this style is as easy as pulling your hair up into a high ponytail – while leaving a middle parting at the top – and arranging and pinning your curls in to a very messy bun. However, if your hair is naturally straight or wavy like Bella Hadid’s, you can still pull off this look. Once your hair is in the high pony, you can add ringlets by curling small strands with a small curling iron before locking them in place with hairspray and pinning them haphazardly into a purposely disheveled chignon.

OK, so it’s not really tinsel in Saoirse Ronan’s hair, but the gold thread that hairstylist Adir Abergel wove throughout her hair had the same effect as the twinkly festive trimming. “It was a double braid along the hairline that was pulled into a low-slung ponytail,” Abergel explained of the style. “To accent the look, I used a gold thread that I found at a fabric store in London and intertwined into the braid. This created more dimension and added both texture and shine.”

Space buuns are already whimsical, but weave in delicate pearl details – like Janelle Monae shown here – and you’ve got a holiday party-approved look in a snap.