Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams has left Westeros behind in favor of the Owens family house in New England, stepping into the role of Antonia Owens for the much-anticipated, long-awaited sequel to 1998’s Practical Magic, Practical Magic 2. And for the first major red carpet event tied to the film, Williams channeled her onscreen mom, Sandra Bullock (a.k.a. Sally Owens) with a clever nod to one of Bullock’s ’90s glam moments.
As we know, the ‘90s have been “back” for years now, with stars referencing the decade and major trends of the era coming back into fashion again. For the premiere, Williams channeled the time period with an undone cool updo, her dark hair gathered up at the crown of her head and twisted and pinned with a loose hand to allow hair to escape the pins and move more freely—similar to an upstyle you may have spotted on the red carpet or at a prom in the late ’90s.
Maisie Williams poses in a corset gown and an updo.Getty Images
“We wanted something that felt quite effortless, messy and more than a nod to a ‘90s updo,” hairstylist Jillian Halouska tells Allure of the inspiration behind Williams’s red carpet hairstyle. “Something that was structurally interesting ,yet felt on the verge of falling out at any moment. The juxtaposition of the corset waist and undone hair, it’s as if you undid the corset and tie of the outfit—the reverse of that is undone hair with the ties and corset laces falling out.”
According to stylist Dino Bonačić, the entire vibe was centered around a specific Bullock premiere look: 1999’s Forces of Nature, where the star wore a similar rust-colored outfit and reddish eye makeup, both elements mimicked by Williams’s modern take. At the time, however, Bullock skipped an updo and wore her short hair pin straight with a subtle zig-zag part. “In terms of styling, I think there’s a lot of conversation around method dressing, but instead of looking super witchy, we wanted to focus on the 1990s as a decade, and Sandra Bullock as this epitome of 1990s chaos (complimentary),” Bonačić tells Allure. “And we sort of wanted to do the same with the beauty, although it was quite perfectly aligned from the get. Both [makeup artist] Elaine Lynskey and Jillian instantly read the vibe and knew exact references.”
