Ayo Edebiri Just Channeled Sophia Loren With A Bouffant Beehive

Over the last few years, Ayo Edebiri has proven herself as a force to be reckoned with in film and television. With ease, she’s able to embody a wide variety of characters — from a bright-eyed sous chef to a fight club organizing high schooler to the animated embodiment of envy — and now she’s using those same skills and charm to slip into the role of a 1960s screen siren for W Magazine’s Directors Issue. In a series of shots that felt like a movie all its own, Edebiri topped off sophisticated styles by Chanel, Prada, Celine, and more with a bouffant beehive hairstyle that encompassed the over-the-top glamour of the era.

Edebiri was a natural choice for the issue’s cover, as it was directed and photographed by Luca Guadagnino, who recently cast the Bottoms star in his upcoming film After the Hunt alongside Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield. According to W Magazine, Guadagnino was inspired by ‘60s stars like Sophia Loren and Ingrid Bergman when directing the shoot and wanted to create a character that was a “rich, lonely, and utterly fabulous woman.” And Edebiri was more than game. “I’m an Italian widow,” she’s quoted in the article, dressed up in her glam Mid-Century garb. “Or maybe I’m a mistress who has been jilted by her lover. Either way, I’m alone. In my villa. And to keep myself amused, I’m trying on all of my clothes and jewelry, and I’m wandering around the stunning home that I will have to leave behind.”

To get into character, hairstylist Cyndia Harvey masterfully created a succession of sky-high styles, all perfectly curled and coiffed — the kind you’d see not only on ‘60s icons like Loren, but also Aretha Franklin, Ronnie Spector, and Diana Ross. To complete the retro beauty look, Lauren Parsons gave Loewe’s 2025 Resort campaign star a flicked-up cat eye and sculpted brows.

Although Edebiri’s vintage glam was designed for an editorial moment only, beehives have actually been making the transition into real-world style of late. A-listers like Kerry Washington and Cardi B have recently worn more pared-down versions and baby bouffants have been featured on high fashion runways for Versace, Moschino, and Batsheva over the last couple of years, so don’t count out the teased-up hairstyle as a major trend to try this year.