Gwyneth Paltrow’s Slicked-Back Hairstyle On The Cover Of Vanity Fair Felt So Fresh

Ever since Sofia Richie Grainge got married with her hair in a gelled-down bun, the look has dominated the beauty circuit. Slicked-back hairstyles have popped up on the runway, the red carpet, and certainly the street style scene — most recently, Gabrielle Union wore a sleek half-pony for Eva Longoria’s entire birthday weekend. Due to this celeb-approved craze, voluminous hairdos have been few and far between. But on March 18, Gwyneth Paltrow (and her hairstylist, Chris McMillan) managed to find the perfect balance of the two extremes. For the latest Vanity Fair cover, Paltrow posed in a fuller, slicked-back hairstyle, which matched the alluring aura of her Saint Laurent ensemble.

Bright and early on Tuesday morning, Vanity Fair shared the cover on Instagram, and within minutes, it went viral. Esteemed photographer Ned Rogers captured the Oscar winner in a lacy mini dress from the ultra-popular Saint Laurent Spring/Summer 2025 collection — this year, Zoë Kravitz, Hailey Bieber, Zoe Saldaña, Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Nicole Kidman, and more have sourced creative director Anthony Vaccarello’s designs. However, all eyes went to her hair. With help from McMillan, Paltrow swapped her signature beachy waves for the aforementioned style. The Iron Man actor’s roots were surprisingly elevated, as opposed to Grainge’s famous flattened look. McMillan likely applied a volumizing powder at her hairline to achieve this style. Instead of parting her blonde locks down the middle (like she usually does), Paltrow’s hair was combed back and left section-less. Extra points for her brightened face-framing pieces, which looked more highlighted than usual. From there, the volume continued. Her hair hit just below her shoulders. Not only that, the ends were curled ever-so-slightly with a large barrel. It gave major bombshell energy — minus the waves.

Some cover stars experiment with various hairstyles in their features. However, Paltrow maintained the striking slick-back from the first to last image. Beyond the front page, her tresses looked chic alongside a cutout-heavy Courrèges dress, a lacy Chloé LBD, a sheer Valentino top, lingerie from Balenciaga, a leather Prada bodysuit, and a shirtless Saint Laurent suit. All this to say? Pick up your own copy next month to see how the style evolved.

According to the publication, this photoshoot marked the start of her promo trail for Josh Safdie’s period film, Marty Supreme, which hits theaters on Christmas Day. So, stay tuned for more press tour pics of Paltrow in the coming weeks. Who knows? Perhaps she’ll return to the slicked-back style on a red carpet.