Marilyn Monroe Was on the Moodboard at the 2026 CFDA Awards
The phrase “old Hollywood glamour” is a bit of a cliché at this point; it's been overused as a way to describe a specific red carpet moment, like a particularly classic gown or peekaboo hairstyle à la ‘40s star Veronica Lake. But on the flipside, that kind of timeless beauty truly never goes out of style, and Keke Palmer, Pamela Anderson, and Cole Escola all put their own unique spin on one of Marilyn Monroe's signature hairstyles for the 2026 CFDA Awards.
Let's start with Palmer, who hosted the evening's events and wore a stunning and super-rare archival Bob Mackie dress originally made for ‘70s star Raquel Welch’s appearance on The Cher Show. (Got all that?) The actor-singer-host extraordinaire wore her red hair in a voluminous Marilyn-style bob styled in soft curls. Her hair was parted deeply to one side with a portion teased up and curled, similar to how Monroe wore her hair in movies like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
Next up, Anderson! The actor is a major cinephile and has looked to classic films for hair inspiration in the past, including '80s French films and Monroe herself. Anderson went for a more sculpted take on Monroe-esque curls, wearing her platinum hair swept back from her face and tightly curled. She skipped the cat-eye liquid liner but wore a modern twist on Monroe's signature red lipstick, slicking on a glossy shade of cherry and wearing the same color on her nails.
And as for Escola, the Tony-winning actor and writer's film-star curls landed right between Palmer's and Anderson's, style-wise, with a pageboy shape and that dramatic swoop teased and sculpted into an exaggerated shape for a cheeky finish.
Monroe was definitely on the moodboard for the evening, proving that old Hollywood glamour can easily be new Hollywood glamour too. It's even cooler when you make it yours interpret it through your own special style lens!
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4 of November 2026
