Tessa Thompson & Kristen Stewart Wore This Classic Holiday Hairstyle In Very Different Ways

It’s a great holiday season debate old as time: when it comes to parties, do you go for hair up or hair down? Sure, there’s something to be said for a sleek center part or a bouncy blowout, but if you’ve been leaning towards the hair down camp, one look at Hollywood’s new favorite updo might just have you switching sides. At the Nov. 29 Gotham Awards, two A-listers showed up with two different and incredibly chic takes on two classic bun hairstyles.

Tessa Thompson, in a gloriously dramatic Cinderella-esque ball gown with matching patent leather evening gloves, went for a full and sculpted bun anchored by a glossy side part. The effect is one-part fairytale and one-part Audrey Hepburn that come together to form one seriously sophisticated look. Meanwhile, at the same event, Kristen Stewart worked her own version of a holiday bun. Featuring a looped-around ponytail elaborately piled and tucked on top of her head with an elastic-obscuring lock of wrapped-around hair with plenty of loose ends for texture, the hairstyle served as an excellent contrast to her hot pink velvet column gown. With updos like these as holiday party options, it might just end the ultimate hair aesthetic debate once and for all.

Thompson’s romantic bun was created by top-tier hairstylist Lacy Redway and assistant India Williams. Redway’s work can be spotted on virtually every high-profile red carpet, with recent clients including stars like Simone Biles, Sadie Sink, and Lil Nas X. In a caption of a photo uploaded showing a pre-awards glimpse of Thompson, Redway confirmed the Breakfast At Tiffany’s homage.

For her artfully-mussed bow bun, Kristen Stewart turned to her longtime hairstylist, Adir Abergel, who has masterminded all of Stewart’s buzzed-about hair moments of the year — remember that Met Gala pinup ponytail?

Despite their aesthetic differences, buns are suited for all sorts of styles. There’s the tried-and-true method of mixing edgier hair with a more polished ensemble (and vise versa) to allow for attention-grabbing contrast like Kristen Stewart aptly demonstrates. Then, of course, you can align the vibes — Tessa Thompson’s romantic bun is a perfect match for her storybook gown — to emphasize them even further.

Regardless of which style you choose for assorted events, there are some across-the-board products that will help shape both. A style-shaping mousse, boar-bristle brushes, and edge-taming hairsprays and pomades are key in most more complicated styles — find a selection of some of the best ones below. But one thing’s for sure, though — when you opt for a dramatic updo like Thompson and Stewart, it’s difficult to not look stunning.