Aubrey Plaza Got A Jump On ‘New Year, New Me’ With A Complete Hair Transformation

For years, Aubrey Plaza and her distinct, instantly-recognizable brand of off-beat humor has kept audiences enthralled — on the small and silver screens. Aesthetically, though, Plaza and her iconic characters have never had too much in common. Despite her legendary @evilhag social media handle, Plaza’s always been the effortlessly glamorous sort, turning up on red carpets in bouncy, voluminous bobs and sultry, smoky eye makeup. But even among her most eye-catching looks, Aubrey Plaza’s new blonde hair is something totally distinct. Were you to make a list of celebrities most likely to undergo a (near) platinum transformation, would Plaza even rank in the top 100? As it happens, Plaza’s illuminating blonde hair color — a trendy shade of warm, pale gold — is totally surprising but undeniably stunning.

Plaza unveiled her unexpected new hair color at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 13th Governors Awards. Thought of as the entree to the Oscars and the award show season in general, stars pulled out all the stops on the red carpet. In Plaza’s case, she showed off her fresh blonde hair color, pulled back into a chic bun and supported by a classic blood-red lip and plunging Mônot halter gown.

The bold new hair color and style seem to come courtesy of Mark Townsend, celebrity hairstylist to Plaza and A-list peers like Dakota Johnson and Gwyneth Paltrow. While he didn’t share the exact color recipe (can’t blame him — it’s secret sauce-level brilliant), the talent involved is undeniable. Plaza’s always been so graceful, poised, and stylish, but the new hair color does infuse an Old Hollywood-style elegance that’s just breathtaking.

Makeup-wise, Plaza is staying true to her signatures and go-to colors even amid this hair shade shakeup. Just a month earlier, at the White Lotus season two premiere, she was wearing a similar red lip with strong upper lash eyeliner and her trademark arched brows.

At both the White Lotus premiere and the Governors Awards, Plaza’s makeup was done by celebrity artist Kathy Jeung. If anyone has mastered the art of the retro red lip, it’s Plaza and Jeung. With a surprise transformation this bold dropped out of nowhere, it’s always anyone’s guess what Plaza and her glam team have planned for the new year ahead.