Gomez, who is herself a millennial born in 1992, turned heads in New York City on September 17 when she stepped out wearing her newly grown-out long hair styled in a distinctively retro, 1960s-inspired blowout. Rather than opting for the massive, bouncy, and hyper-voluminous blowouts that frequently dominate red carpets, her look favored a much sleeker aesthetic. The hairstyle began with a razor-sharp, highly defined middle part running straight down the center of her forehead. From that precise geometric foundation, her hair was smoothed out nearly flat on either side, with the front portions neatly tucked behind each ear. The lengths were blown out with an equal degree of smoothness, finishing off with a delicate, curvy bend at the ends that introduced a subtle touch of motion and movement to the overall silhouette.
This sophisticated look was crafted by celebrity hairstylist Renato Campora, a frequent collaborator who knows how to work with Gomez’s texture. While a cut and style of this nature could certainly be adapted to a traditional side part, there is an undeniable architectural appeal to the way it anchors around a precise parting right in the center of the face. The partition is so clean and exact that it almost looks mathematical. The resulting business-chic aesthetic proved to be completely appropriate for the nature of her engagements in Manhattan that day. Gomez was in town to attend the high-profile Fast Company Innovation Festival, where she took the stage to speak on an industry panel regarding her immensely successful beauty brand, Rare Beauty.
The pop culture icon and beauty mogul was apparently leaning heavily into the center-part aesthetic during her time in New York. Just one day prior, she was spotted out and about in Tribeca sporting a completely different variation of the style. On that occasion, her long hair was blown out into a full, voluminous, bombshell style that still cascaded downward from a strict center part. Even for someone who has frequently experimented with various chic bobs over the years, this current long-hair era on Gomez looks undeniably striking. Witnessing her seamlessly pull off these polished, center-parted iterations has finally convinced this dedicated side-part loyalist that perhaps it is time to embrace a fresh approach to styling for the upcoming season.
