RETURN TO THE CURLY CLUB

How stars can embrace the new trend

Whose salon is hairdresser to the Duchess of Cambridge

THE Duchess of Cambridge pulled off a red-carpet triumph last week, wearing her hair curlier than we’ve seen since her university days. With ringlets cascading down on one side and the rest of her hair sleek and smooth and parted off-centre, this natural yet glamorous style — coupled with her sparkling sea-green dress — gave her a beautiful, mermaid-esque appearance. She looked simply stunning.

This was quite a departure from the big, soft waves we’re more used to seeing on Catherine. Last week’s curls were much tighter, but styled with plenty of bounce, achieved using Velcro rollers and then hair tongs and raking through with fingers to gently tease out individual curls. It was fabulous to see one of the world’s most glamorous women making a virtue of her natural wave, while gloriously glossing it up.

And, dare I say it, this look is anti-ageing, too. Just don’t be fooled — it isn’t achieved by blasting hair dry with a diffuser, bunging in some mousse and backcombing with fingers. There’s no element of just scrunching and hoping for the best here, either. Catherine’s look is an evolution of the way countless women embraced their natural kinks during lockdown for a more relaxed, modern take on glamour. And now that they’re back out in the world, they want to show those curls off in public. But if you simply wash and go, there’s a danger you could end up looking like you got caught in the rain. Those tiny, tight curls you can get around the hairline are the enemy of the groomed-but-natural look. It’s a simple fix: just blow-dry the first few inches of the root area around your hairline from ear to ear. You don’t have to touch the nape or fiddle with the back; only what people can see.

The temptation then is to keep going. But that’s where you must stop. Leave the rest to dry naturally, before putting serum through the curls that emerge to give them definition. Or use rollers and tongs to ramp up the glamour. Either way, make sure you use some serum and then, voila, you’ll look young, fresh and effortlessly glamorous — just like the Duchess.

Here, I share my thoughts on how other stars can go back to their curly roots . . .

CATHERINE ZETA-JONES has a hedge look here; she literally left her hair to dry and didn’t bother with any products to shape and define. A de-frizzing serum would stop things looking so wild.

TAYLOR SWIFT’S spirals come straight out of her head, which is the mistake the Duchess didn’t make — keeping the hairline smooth would be a dramatic improvement for Taylor.

Back to her roots: The Duchess at university and, right, last week

Picture research: CLAIRE CISOTTI

JENNIFER ANISTON could have looked sleeker, but those waves at the end are nice. With a bit more effort to smooth things out, this could work for her now.

JENNIFER LOPEZ looks natural here, but the fluffy outline spoils it. That’s an easy fix with a bit of serum, which would totally update these ringlets.

RICHARD SAYS: Sarah Jessica Parker has super-sleek locks now. But her corkscrews would look great if she smoothed the roots — a game-changer.

COURTENEY COX’S hairline here is just awful. She’d need to smooth all that out to get away with those curls today. More length would help, too.

AMANDA HOLDEN looked cute with waves, but they were a bit too tight and crimped-looking. Loosening them would make all the difference.

SALMA HAYEK’S hair is too tight and bunchy here. If she raked through her curls, the weight would fall to the ends and it would be perfect.

CHELSEA CLINTON’S healthy, bouncy and nicely defined head of curls looked great then, and would be just as lovely-looking today.