It’s official: Aubrey Plaza has earned herself the title of bob style queen. After Plaza was photographed looking perfect in an undone bob in New York City last week—amid a heatwave, no less—the actor attended a Los Angeles screening of her upcoming film Spin Me Round in the most elegant loaded topknot updo we’ve ever laid eyes on.
This gorgeous style differs from Plaza’s usual look, which is essentially another modern take on the effortless, Renaissance-inspired Botticelli bob. Her new look still highlights her signature side bangs and face-framing S-curls. So, Plaza pretty much just singlehandedly proved that side bangs and parts are very much cool again. (Do you hear that, Gen Z?!)
The Happiest Season star complemented her topknot with gold hoop earrings and a deep V-neck mini dress. BRB, we’re running to copy this whole look immediately.
Plaza’s loaded topknot is especially timely. All sorts of bob styles are going viral this year, including the cool-girl scandi bob, heatwave-friendly curly bob, and their cousins the blunt bob and wavy lob. Bob enthusiasts are also actively seeking stylish ways to wear their short hair in updos. The end result of this phenomenon has been a resurgence in the mid-2010s era loaded topknot, both because it’s been spotted on celebs— Kaia Gerber, Margot Robbie, Jennifer Lopez, and Hailey Bieber have worn the style— as well as how easy it is to style yourself.
“The beauty of this look is in its effortlessness, as it’s super easy to create yet still manages to look chic,” Cliphair trends writer Brenda Lee Intignano said of the topknot. Unless, of course, you want to take Plaza’s more put-together look, which actually has a bit of a bridal vibe. That’s the beauty of the loaded topknot, though: It’s incredibly versatile, and there truly no “right” way to wear it. Most importantly, however, the updo proves that contrary to popular belief, you can still style short hair in an updo. All you might need are a few bobby pins.
