Kaia Gerber has a knack for making an old idea feel current, and her latest red-carpet look does exactly that. Appearing in Berlin to promote her new series “The Shards,” the model wore a deep side part with face-framing pieces pinned neatly back, secured with nothing fancier than two classic bobby pins. It is a small, deliberate styling choice, and it happens to be one of the most talked-about hair ideas of the year.
The side part, banished for much of the last decade in favour of a centre part, has quietly returned. It has turned up on Zendaya, Gracie Abrams, Simone Ashley and Kirsten Dunst in recent months, styled everything from wet-look sleek to voluminous and curly. What makes Gerber’s version feel specific is the pairing with those thin, visible pins, a detail lifted almost wholesale from the early 2000s, when a side part and a couple of criss-crossed clips were a going-out uniform.
Her hairstylist, Benjamin Talbott, kept the finish loose and air-dried rather than polished, which is part of why the look reads as modern rather than costume. The colour did some of the work too. Colorist Jenna Perry described the shade as a bright, sun-kissed brunette, warmed around the face to catch the light, and called it well suited to autumn for its depth and shine.
The makeup completed the throwback. Makeup artist Valeria Ferreira swept a frosted shadow from the inner corners across the lids, blended a matte brown through the crease, and finished with a wash of pink blush and glossy lips. Frosted eyelids and a side part together are about as clean a reference to the TLC and Spice Girls era as you can make without reaching for a butterfly clip.
The appeal of the trend is how little it asks of you. There is no blow-out to maintain and no precision parting to fuss over; the point is a slightly undone finish that looks like you did it yourself in ten minutes, because you could have. A skinny snap clip or a pair of bobby pins, ideally left on show rather than hidden, is the only accessory required.
For anyone tempted to try it, the method is forgiving. Start with a deep part on whichever side feels natural, sweep the shorter front pieces back off the face, and pin them with two crossed clips just behind the temple. Air-dry for texture, or rough-dry with your fingers for a bit more volume. Gerber’s version proves the look still works two decades on, and that sometimes the most stylish thing you can do is raid the trends you grew up with.
