Say goodbye to the up-do, the Met Gala shows we’ve entered a new wave of red carpet hairstyles

There was a time when red carpet dressing called for a proper hairstyle, whether that meant a pile-up of intricate clips, a French twist or perhaps even a ballerina bun (Gwyneth Paltrow during her 2005 Oscars speech, I’m looking at you). But that has all changed, because the most stylish women on the Met Gala red carpet were all wearing their hair in a sleek bob.

Just look at Amber Valletta’s sleek, centre-parted chin-length bob, gently sweeping in at the ends, to see what I mean. It made for a youthful look and mirrored the geometric edges on her Michael Kors dress. It was a similar case with Bohemian Rhapsody actress Lucy Boynton, who, at 28, clearly needs no help in looking youthful, but is a fine example that anyone at any age can benefit from a chin-chiselling cut.

Meanwhile Kris Jenner, aka the Kardashians’ ‘momager’, looked strikingly different with a flicked-out bob – a real departure from her usual pixie crop. The ‘flip’, as celebrity hairdresser Larry King calls it, takes inspiration from 1960s style icons like Jackie Kennedy and Mary Tyler Moore, and works best on a jaw-length bob. “The flip is a great way to style a bob, and as long as there are no flyways and the hair is kept quite smooth, it is completely modern and a simple styling trick,” he says.

There was a resurgence of 1920s-inspired finger waves on Monday night, too, which complemented the ‘Gilded Glamour’ dress code. But there’s a fine line between a clever accent and looking like a fancy dress flapper. Anne Boleyn actress Jodie Turner-Smith struck the right balance with finger waves gently pushed back into an up-do, as did Lizzo with glossy waves in the front giving way to a loose, natural do.

Euphoria star Maude Apatow had the most authentic-looking flapper hairstyle of the night, complete with shoulder-skimming bob. It was a style that worked without looking too dress-up; the rich, velvety deep red lipstick helped keep it modern. Because when bringing back old styles, whether it’s 1920s finger waves or 1960s flippy bobs, the trick is in the modern twists for an enduringly timeless look.