Latest news with #COLLECTIVE
Elle
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Elle
'Stranger Things' 5: What We Know So Far About The Final Season
All good things must come to an end—even Stranger Things. The hit Netflix sci-fi thriller, which first arrived in the summer of 2016, will conclude with its fifth season, which has no release date yet. The show's creators, Matt and Ross Duffer, announced the news with a bittersweet letter to fans on February 17, 2022. 'Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc for Stranger Things,' they wrote. 'At the time, we predicted the story would last four to five seasons. It proved too large to tell in four, but—as you'll soon see for yourselves—we are now hurtling toward our finale. Season 4 will be the penultimate season; season 5 will be the last.' FIND OUT MORE ON ELLE COLLECTIVE After Stranger Things' season 4 premiered in 2022 (with quite the jam-packed finale), the wait for the next and final chapter continues. Here's what we know so far. Season 5 will premiere in November 2025, with four episodes coming out on November 26, followed by three episodes on Christmas, and the finale on New Year's Eve, ending a nearly three-year-long wait since season 4. In May 2023, the Writer's Guild of America voted to strike for fairer wages and other issues facing TV and screenplay writers, such as the use of AI and the 'mini-rooms' that have become the norm, making it far more difficult for writers to earn a living. The Duffer brothers announced via the show's official Twitter account that they would be halting production in support of the WGA and the writers on the picket line, further delaying the release of season 5. 'Duffers here. Writing does not stop when filming begins,' they explained. 'While we're excited to start production with our amazing cast and crew, it is not possible during this strike. We hope a fair deal is reached soon so we can all get back to work. Until then -- over and out. #wgastrong.' The SAG strike, which ran until November of 2023, also delayed production. Stranger Things reportedly resumed filming in January 2024. Production began on Jan. 8, 2024, with writers sharing a photo of the cast gathered together with the Duffer Brothers. Photos taken on Thursday, January 18, and posted by TMZ, show the cast filming in Atlanta, with David Harbour and Winona Ryder coming to set and the kids shooting emotional final scenes for the series. In one picture, Millie Bobby Brown and Finn Wolfhard can be seen having a conversation on top of a hill. Others take place on a radio station set. They reached the halfway point of filming in July, which Netflix announced with a behind-the-scenes video from set. The footage teases a few things: Vecna is back, the kids are in high school, and there are some pretty massive set pieces. The actors also reflect on their journeys with Stranger Things. Millie Bobby Brown says, 'I started when I was 10. I'm not turning 20 years old. Feels very weird.' On Dec. 20, 2024, Netflix announced that filming on the final season had wrapped, sharing some adorable behind-the-scenes pics of the cast and crew. Most of the main cast is expected to return, including Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Finn Wolfhard (Mike), Noah Schnapp (Will), Natalia Dyer (Nancy), Sadie Sink (Max), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Joe Keery (Steve), Priah Ferguson (Erica), and Winona Ryder (Joyce). And at least one new cast member will join in season 5, as Netflix announced during its 2023 TUDUM event: Terminator actress Linda Hamilton. While announcing the halfway point of filming, Netflix also shared three new additions to the Stranger Things 5 cast: Nell Fisher (Bookworm), Jake Connelly (Between the Silence), and Alex Breaux (Waco: The Aftermath). For her part, Brown is ready to return—but only once more. She admitted to Seventeen that she's eager for season 5 to be her last. 'I'm definitely ready to wrap up,' she said. 'I feel like there's a lot of the story that's been told now. It's been in our lives for a very long time. But I'm very ready to say goodbye to this chapter of my life, and open new ones up.' Brown added, 'I'm able to create stories myself that are important to me and focus on the bigger picture. But I'm really grateful [for the show].' But she was a bit mournful when the end finally came. On Friday, December 20, she shared an emotional video in which she is thanking the cast and crew on Instagram, along with a bunch of pictures from her years on set. 'Isn't graduation supposed to bring relief? Like you're glad to leave behind the teachers and classmates. Not me,' she said in the black-and-white video. 'I am nowhere near ready to leave you guys. I love each and every one of you and I will forever carry the memories and bonds we created together as a family. I love you, thank you.' Brown got teary during her speech and was met with applause and cheers. How do you sum up this epic story, which transcends dimensions and stretches far beyond the borders of Hawkins, Indiana? The Duffers have a plan; we're just not privy to it yet. We do know one thing, though: Expect tears. 'We do have an outline for season 5 and we pitched it to Netflix and they really responded well to it,' Ross Duffer told The Wrap in May 2022. 'I mean, it was hard. It's the end of the story. I saw executives crying who I've never seen cry before and it was wild.' Actor David Harbour, who plays Hopper, had previously confirmed to Variety that he'd learned the season 5 ending and thought it 'quite moving and quite beautiful.' In the Duffer Brothers' February 2022 letter to fans, they added, 'There are still many more exciting stories to tell within the world of Stranger Things; new mysteries, new adventures, new unexpected heroes.' Might that mean a spin-off in the future? 'But first we hope that you stay with us as we finish this tale of a powerful girl named Eleven and her brave friends, of a broken police chief and a ferocious mom, of a small town called Hawkins and an alternate dimension called the Upside Down. As always, we are gracious for your patience and your support.' The showrunning duo also confirmed there would be no 'reset' going into season 5. Matt Duffer told Empire, 'Usually at the end of a season, we tie things up with a nice bow, before a little tease that says, 'Hold on, something is unraveling.' As we move into season 5, we won't have to do that. There won't be a reset from where we finish this season [season 4].' And the Duffers kept their word: Season 4 ends with a cliffhanger, as the Hawkins crew prepares for one last battle with the Upside Down. We can also expect Will Byers to come out. As actor Noah Schnapp confirmed to Variety, 'it's 100% clear that he is gay and he does love Mike,' later adding, 'There's so many different things they have to address. Obviously, we hope for a coming out scene, and I also want to see them address this connection to the Mind Flayer and how that fits into the world. And I've always been wondering, why was Will the first victim and the first one captured?' Vecna isn't necessarily gone for good. Jamie Campbell Bower told NME, 'I don't think he's slunk off licking his wounds in misery. He's rebuilding, and he's out for blood.' He could stronger than ever in season 5. As for Eleven, we don't know what's going to happen to her in the final season, but Millie Bobby Brown seems to know her character's fate, and it's making fans nervous. In March 2024, the actress spoke with Capital FM about the series' conclusion. 'I haven't read the end,' she said. 'I know what happens to my character because I kind of forced myself into the writers room.' 'Basically, I messaged the directors, "Can I come over and have a meeting with you?" And then I came over, and there was a whiteboard,' she explained. 'I just saw my ending and thought, "Oooooh," and then I walked away very slowly.' The internet was nervous about her reaction, believing that Elle may be in for a dark finale. During Netflix's 2025 preview in January, Matt Duffer said that the final season is 'our most personal story. It was super intense and emotional to film—for us and for our actors. We've been making this show together for almost ten years. There was a lot of crying. There was SO much crying. The show means so much to all of us, and everyone put their hearts and souls into it. And we hope—and believe—that passion will translate to the screen.' The Stranger Things writers hinted that there'll be eight episodes when they tweeted a photo of a whiteboard separated into eight columns, each numbered from episode 1-8. They later tweeted the first page of the script for season 5, episode 1 on Nov. 6. It's titled 'Chapter 1: The Crawl.' The episodes will probably be shorter than season 4's super-sized ones—except for the finale. 'The only reason we don't expect to be as long is, this season [season 4], if you look at it, it's almost a two-hour ramp up before our kids really get drawn into a supernatural mystery. You get to know them, you get to see them in their lives, they're struggling with adapting to high school and so forth, Steve's trying to find a date, all of that. None of that is obviously going to be occurring [in season 5],' Matt Duffer said on the Happy Sad Confused podcast in 2022, per Deadline. When it comes to the series finale, 'We're more likely to do what we did here, which is to just have a 2.5 hour episode,' he added. During a preview for Netflix's slate in January 2025, Ross said that 'this is our biggest and most ambitious season yet. It's like eight blockbuster movies.' Netflix teased the episode titles in the video below. Probably not immediately after the events in season 4, if that's what you're expecting. Ross Duffer told TVLine in 2022, 'I'm sure we will do a time jump.' Which makes sense, given how quickly our lead actors are growing up. 'Ideally, we'd have shot [seasons 4 and 5] back to back,' Ross added, 'but there was just no feasible way to do that.' Sure enough, the duo confirmed that there will be a one-year time jump between the events in seasons 4 and 5. Season 5 will be set in the fall of 1987. Yes. We just don't know what it will be about yet. (Though Finn Wolfhard has apparently already figured it out.) 'There's a version of it developing in parallel [to season 5], but they would never shoot it parallel,' Ross Duffer told Variety. 'I think actually we're going to start delving into that soon as we're winding down and finishing these visual effects, Matt and I are going to start getting into it.' Matt Duffer added, 'It's going to be different than what anyone is expecting, including Netflix.' Intriguing indeed. During Netflix's 2025 preview, Matt Duffer teased potential spinoffs. 'There are more Stranger Things stories to tell and in the works,' he said. 'It's a bit early at this point to talk about them, but we're deeply involved in every one—it's very important to us that anything with the Stranger Things name on it is of the highest quality and not repetitive—that it has a reason to exist and always blazes its own path. And also, it needs to basically just be... awesome.' In the meantime, the play Stranger Things: The First Shadow, a prequel about Henry Creel before he became Vecna, is playing on the West End and soon headed to Broadway. Not yet, but so far, we have a slew of behind-the-scenes photos from production above. The writers gave their very first tease of the script. In November 2023, they shared a snippet from 'Season 5. Chapter 1. Scene 1.' This story will be updated. ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE. Erica Gonzales is the Deputy Editor, Culture at where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at There is a 75 percent chance she's listening to Lorde right now.
Elle
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Elle
Everything We're Expecting From 'Dept Q' Season Two
Currently, the TV circuit has been giving us back-to-back thrillers (The Better Sister, Nine Perfect Strangers and Code Of Silence), and on May 29, Netflix delivered its own offering: Dept. Q. A nine-part series which sees the grouchy Detective Carl Morck (Matthew Goode) assigned to a police department in Edinburgh, where he is tasked with the assignment of solving the cryptic disappearance of prosecutor Merritt Lingard (Chloe Pirrie) who has been missing for four years. Created by American screenwriter, director and producer Scott Frank (Godless, The Queen's Gambit), the series is based on the book series by Danish writer Jussi Adler-Olsen. If like us, you've finished the series already and are keen to know more about the series' potential return for season two, keep on reading below. FIND OUT MORE ON ELLE COLLECTIVE While season two of the series is still yet to be confirmed, a number of the show's cast members have expressed that they'd be more than on board for returning for another round of Dept. Q, which of course, is always a promising sign. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Goode revealed wasted no time sharing his thoughts, 'It's begging for it,' he said, of the series' potential return. Elsewhere, he told Yahoo that there is hope of a second season. 'I was saying to Scott [Frank] the other day, what we really need to do is a season two, and we need to get Alexej into eight weeks of Krav Magar training so the fight scenes in season two can be amazing. It's going to be a sort of Syrian Bourne.' Meanwhile, Frank told the BBC that while the previous seasons that he has worked on were 'meant to be one and done,' Dept. Q has the potential for more. 'There was no more to say but I'd love to do more with this and the next book in the series is even more interesting and relevant.' At the beginning of the season, we see Carl and his former partner James involved in an on-duty shoot-out, which ends in a young police constable dying, his partner paralysed, and Carl scarred for the foreseeable. We have not yet seen who shot Carl but is quite possible that it could be revealed in season two to give more context to his trauma. After Carl saves Merritt's life, the two are unable to properly meet due to Merritt barely being conscious after the ordeal. When she wakes up, she asks to meet Carl to thank him, however, she is told that he is taking time off of work. The two do end up meeting - but not realising who the other is - when they bump into one another by an elevator. Carl does not reveal his identity to Merritt, so she does not realise the significance of their brief encounter. As the series has not been confirmed and Scott has provided little information it's hard to say. However, if he plans on following on with the sequence of the Adler-Olsen's books, the second season would be centred around the second book, The Absent One (the first being Mercy). This would see Carl go on to solve yet another case, whereby he is tasked with solving the double murder of a brother and sister, which occurred two decades ago. While one of the suspects is already in prison for the crime, Carl is not convinced that the case has been adequately settled. ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE.
Elle
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Elle
Lisa's Own Songs Are At The Top Of Her Own Playlist: 'I Listen To My Music All The Time'
Lisa is set on global domination. Not happy settling on starring in one of the world's biggest TV shows (The White Lotus), being in the biggest girlband in the world (Blackpink), and working with the most storied fashion houses including Louis Vuitton, she is now entering the music-tech space with a pair of Earbuds designed with Bose. Inspired by her own taste in ear cuff earrings, the collaboration is bringing a new music experience to her fans. FIND OUT MORE AT ELLE COLLECTIVE 'Bose is known for their high quality sound which really is important for an artist like me, so it just felt right to do it,' she tells ELLE UK over the phone. 'I listen to my music all the time,' she says laughing. On her playlist right now? 'It's Maroon 5's "Priceless", featuring Lisa,' she says. Naturally. Her favourite place to sit back and listen to the track is in Hawaii. 'Everything sounds better in Hawaii,' she adds. For as much as the Earbuds prioritise an unrivalled listening experience, they also look good. Something that has long been at the forefront of this artist's output. ' I like going for a minimalistic look,' she says of the sleek design. Despite a meteoric rise to fame that has expanded her horizons and fanbase from simply Kpop to a whole world of admirers, one thing has not changed: her approach to what she wears. 'I don't think my style has changed over the years. I prefer wearing clothes that are comfortable and that I feel good in.' As summer draws closer, the 28-year-old star is starting to plot her plans. 'I would love to try sky diving! Hopefully, I can also take a short break in summer so looking forward to a vacation would be nice,' she admits. 'I personally love jelly shoes – they are comfortable and perfect for summer.' Upper - Other Materials, Lining & Sock - Other Materials, Sole - Other Materials. You can't be a British journalist and meet with an artist in the run up to Glastonbury without posing the question on if they'd like to headline. Lisa's response? 'I would love to headline Glastonbury, for sure. I would need to think more on what the set would be like! Maybe, hopefully, it would be with some more [new] music.' Her foresight and enthusiasm to the question proves that if anyone is loving life right now then it's Lisa. 'My favourite part of being Lisa is that I get to explore different opportunities and keep doing what I love to do.' And just like that she's off to conquer another corner of the world... whatever next? ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE. Freelancer
Elle
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Elle
Bradley Whitford Explains Commander Lawrence's Bold Decision On ‘The Handmaid's Tale'
Spoilers below. The penultimate episode of The Handmaid's Tale puts multiple characters in the crosshairs of the war against Gilead. One of them is High Commander Lawrence (Bradley Whitford), who makes the ultimate sacrifice when he literally blows up the fabric of the totalitarian state he helped create. 'I'm an economist, I'm not James Bond,' Lawrence says before agreeing to the daring mission. Unlike 007, Lawrence can't parachute from the plane full of commanders (including Nick Blaine) before it explodes. Having joined The Handmaid's Tale in its second season, Whitford's Lawrence has played antagonist and ally to June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) throughout the series. In the final season, Lawrence learns his reforms are being used to lure former Gilead residents back to the country that abused and tortured them under the banner of change. When enough people have returned, the Gilead leadership will revert to the oppressive rule of law. Siding with the Mayday resistance is an act of self-preservation to stave off his future execution; Lawrence doesn't volunteer to give his life for the cause. Instead, he intended to leave the bomb on the plane before the commanders arrived, but when they showed up early, he had no way to exit without drawing attention. Lawrence climbs the stairs, puts his hand on his heart, and says a silent farewell to June in a tear-inducing, emotionally charged exchange. FIND OUT MORE ON ELLE COLLECTIVE It was a bittersweet moment for Whitford. Even though this isn't the first time the three-time Emmy-winner has experienced the conclusion of a long-running TV cultural touchstone, it doesn't get easier. He first worked with Moss on The West Wing more than 25 years ago and is in awe of her work on The Handmaid's Tale as both a scene partner and director. (Moss was behind the camera of the penultimate episode and finale.) Whitford speaks fondly of shooting his final scene to ELLE US. 'It was sitting next to Nick on the plane right before it exploded. It was really heartbreaking,' Whitford says. 'Max [Minghella] is someone I love with all my heart, and working with Lizzie [Moss], I was just so sad. I feel lucky. A weird mix.' In fact, when I ask what Whitford took from the set, he doesn't say a costume, accessory, or object: 'I took Max Minghella, and he's tied up in the basement. I make him do monologues for me, but he tells me he's very happy and grateful.' All joking aside, Whitford mentions that he had texted Minghella the day before our conversation, 'and told him I missed him.' Like his experience on The West Wing (that iconic cast 'texts each other all the time'), Whitford has formed lifelong bonds with his co-stars that starkly contrast the divided Gilead landscape. Whitford doesn't just choose politically charged projects, as he has long been using his platform on the campaign trail, calling out hypocrisy, and advocating for reproductive rights (his father was president of the Dane County, Wisconsin chapter of Planned Parenthood). Below, Whitford talks about shooting his final scenes, keeping things light on set, the story's real-life parallels, and why he's drawn to political TV shows. I feel such parental affection for this kid, who I have a very clear memory of — I worry about kids in show business — and she wandered onto the set of The West Wing, and I remember thinking that kid really wants to be here, and she was a ringer. Then she becomes the poster girl for the golden age of television, and then I get to work with her again, all grown up. Very much like Lawrence's initial condescension about June, I don't even realise it, but she's mentoring me. She's leading me. Leading Lawrence, blowing on the spark of his decency, but leading me as a human being. Lizzie is the least precious, the opposite of a method actor, to the point where it's ridiculous. I think that is an act of unconscious method acting of the way this extraordinary performer, who is playing June, ends up being the creative centre of the show, directing, taking control of all aspects of it, was an amazing thing. It was the second-to-last thing I would shoot. It was a fraught day on the set because, as lucky as I've been, it makes me more acutely aware of what kismet it takes for a show to work. So, to say goodbye to one of those experiences, it's this very weird mix of gratitude and sorrow. Even though we were just pretending, I knew I was kind of saying goodbye to her [Lizzie]. Initially, in the script. I think it was a salute. That [the hand on the heart] was one of the moments [where] Lizzie thinks she's got it; she knew that was an important moment. This is not humility [on my part]; it's desperation. You don't know what works — you really don't. But I trust her eye. I feel sorry for the showrunners because the good news and bad news for the showrunners is that you have a bunch of actors who really care [laughs]. I became very anxious about where this was gonna end. I mean, really neurotic about it, like boring my very supportive wife with repetitions about 'Where is this going?' I was worried that there was going to be a repetition of what happened to Lawrence before you met him, of being seduced by power, so much so that I talked to [creator] Bruce [Miller] about it. They're wonderfully collaborative, and that was never where it was going. Before they started writing [season 6], I called [showrunners] Eric [Tuchman] and Yahlin [Chang], and they said, 'Oh yeah, come over, we'll talk. They just started the writers' room' I just gotta know where this ends, it really means a lot to me. I'm 65 years old; this is a big part of my creative life; I'm not a child. I want to know where this goes. The moment they started talking, I was like, Oh, this is [great]. So I knew. I thought one of the tragedies of somebody like Lawrence is that the consequences of what he has done do not hit home until he loses [his wife] Eleanor. It was always very important to me that it was a real love and connection. Julie [Dretzin] made that happen because she was so good [as Eleanor], but I always thought that part of our backstory was that we had lost a child. It was always an opportunity whenever I was around kids, no matter how sort of ornery and Scrooge-y I might appear to be, that there was always the open part in there. I loved that moment with Ever [Carradine], I loved having that with [new wife] Naomi. She was such a joy to work with, and have that just real connection of a lot of unspoken stuff meant a lot to me. If we were doing another year, it would have been a lot more raucous. So within the reality of the show, very grim scenes, I think it's a way to deal with the darkness of it. By all accounts, it is everybody's experience of it and a lot of it that comes from Lizzie. There was no screaming on the set. It was all very loose. Lizzie is not precious, no matter what she has to do. It's an affirmation for me that it's a confusing thing about performing, because I've always found, no matter what the material, keeping it as loose as possible and screwing around as much as possible is the best preparation. I think it opens you up, and when it becomes somber and this anvil of artistry is on you, you can't act. It's only a slight exaggeration, but these are Canadians, the sweetest people on the planet, despite what the current president may be saying. It's very cheerful, very sweet people saying things like, 'Okay, I don't want to rush you, but I think we should get the nooses on the girls.' The combination of the toughness of the material and the joy with which we got to do it was really bizarre, but I think it's compensating. It wasn't disrespectful. It was a remarkably safe place, and the kindness and looseness of it were a big reason for that. When the show started (before I was on it)—they were shooting in 2016—this idea that women's access to healthcare would be politicised was remote. I do stuff with Planned Parenthood and this year, there's 64,000 pregnant rape victims in the United States without access to health care. It is a testament to the necessity of storytelling and the limits of storytelling. It goes to something I've always felt; I think part of the reason we're where we are politically is that I have grown up at a time where [I believed] democracy was inevitable, where, as flawed as it was, an expansion of agency within democracy was inevitable, and a more inclusive society was inevitable. They are not. I think, part of the reason we're here is we [people who agree with me politically] have tended to think that culture alone is the way you create your moral vision, and the people on the other side have understood that politics is the way you create your moral vision. Culture is incredibly important, but West Wing won't help you if you have a pre existing condition, this show's [The Handmaid's Tale] a big hit, [but it] won't help you if you're a 13-year-old rape victim in Ohio. I think at the core of this obviously very dark show is—the way I articulate it—the heart of June's character is this idea that despair is a luxury your children can't afford. Action's the antidote to despair under the most harrowing of circumstances. This is a fictional circumstance, but you can look all around the world and see people resisting under extraordinary conditions, and you can see it in history. It's a reminder of the possibility of the kind of resilience we need at this moment. We used to get crap about how paranoid we were being, and how unrealistic it was. Margaret Atwood herself almost put the book aside a couple of times because she thought it was a little outrageous. It turns out it's not. I always joke that my career is tracking the death of democracy. But none of it is intentional. What's really funny to me is when West Wing was just an idea, Aaron [Sorkin] had to fight [for it]. The notion was that you couldn't do a television show about politics. I remember having these conversations with him, and we're like, 'it has conflict, it has stakes.' It's typical of the way they think in Hollywood, they dismiss a genre if a movie doesn't work: it's idiotic. Now, we've had Veep, Scandal, House of Cards. It's a very rich arena with high stakes. We see so many iterations of it now, and it was something that was considered to be box office poison. I don't know if it's just because I'm interested in politics or active in advocacy, but I was always thinking of different parallels that make me understand the argument between June and Lawrence about whether we should reform this from the inside; the sort of Hillary [Clinton] wing versus the more radical way of approaching it. It's endlessly fascinating and unfortunately, relevant. I can't believe it. I am basically a progressive Democrat, and we're the bed wetters, right? We're the hysterics who always overstate what can happen. Well, there is no diaper big enough. We clearly underestimated, and it's why the show is so, unfortunately, prescient. What we're seeing is the weaponisation of a perverted idea of Christian faith to use as a delivery system for the accumulation of power. This stuff's right out of the fascism colouring book. It's flabbergasting that we're in this moment, but again, I hope people find some hope and inspiration in the fight against it. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE. Emma Fraser is a freelance culture writer with a focus on TV, movies, and costume design. You can find her talking about all of these things on Twitter.
Elle
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Elle
Bella Hadid's New ‘Crème Brûlée Blonde' Hair Is This Summer's Warmest Shade - And You Can Recreate It
Bella Hadid has retired her signature brunette hair colour in favour of a glossy new 'crème brûlée blonde' shade, stepping out on the Cannes Film Festival 2025 red carpet with the ultimate summer hue. The supermodel opted for a dramatic tan, smouldering '90s make-up and classic black dress for the event, allowing her fresh honey tone to take centre stage. If you're looking for a trendy blonde hair colour to sport for the sunnier days ahead, this is how to recreate Hadid's coveted new tint. 'Crème brûlée blonde is the 2025 hair colour trend of the summer, as seen here on Bella Hadid,' says Hannah Gayle, colourist at Hershesons Belgravia. 'It's a beautiful blend of warm toffee caramel biscuit blonde. It's the perfect balance of dark meets light; a sandy blonde root with creamy, toffee, glossy mid lengths and ends.' FIND OUT MORE ON ELLE COLLECTIVE She notes that the shade is perfect for people who have darker hair but want to add some lighter tones but don't want to go all the way. 'This works well also for your super blondes wanting to add more dimension and expensive feeling to their blonde hair.' If you're keen to recreate this 'crème brûlée blonde' shade, but are currently sat with a chocolate tone not too dissimilar from Hadid's trademark brunette, be very specific about what you ask your colourist for. 'Ask for a full head of finely woven highlights, brighter towards the ends and layered with free hand lightness,' says hairdresser and forecaster Tom Smith. 'Then toned with a neutral, slightly minky, warm shade, which lifts the natural base slightly, perfectly balancing warm and cool tones. This can be maintained with very restrained use of a violet or beige toned shampoo or conditioner, depending on if your hair is prone to fading yellow or dull.' As with any dark-to-light hair transformation, don't rush the process. A gradually bleached approach will retail your hair's integrity and strength over time. ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE. Katie Withington (she/her) is the Beauty Writer, at ELLE UK and Harper's Bazaar. Working alongside the ELLE UK Beauty Team, she covers all things beauty for both print and digital, from finding backstage make-up trends at London Fashion Week and investigating buzzy skincare ingredients, to unzipping the beauty bags of Hailey Bieber and Margot Robbie. Prior to joining ELLE UK in 2022, Katie studied (BA) Fashion Journalism at London College of Fashion and has previously contributed to Red, Good Housekeeping and Prima.
