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South China Morning Post

Why the bun hairstyle is such a versatile classic: adopt the sleek chignon of Audrey Hepburn, Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid, or the signature messy twist of Meghan Markle to elevate your look

If hairstyles had passports, the bun would surely boast the most stamps. It's been everywhere: gracing royal courts and spinning through dance studios, quickly whipped up atop heads on coffee runs and catching the light on fashion runways. This deceptively simple hairstyle has reigned for centuries, repeatedly declared 'the look of the season' as though it had ever truly faded from style. The bun is fashion's quiet overachiever: endlessly adaptable, reliably chic and just as fitting at a couture show as it is during a 7am Zoom call with one eye still closed. Bella Hadid's intricate coils, worn while attending the Cannes Film Festival in France in 2024, were reminiscent of the Ancient Greek style of bun. The bun has been around for millennia. In Ancient Greece, women wore theirs in intricate coils pinned with gold, signalling elegance and status. In parts of East Asia, buns adorned with a jade comb or silk ribbon told entire stories: of marital status, social rank, and even cultural and social significance. Advertisement Fast-forward to Old Hollywood, and the bun got its big-screen close-up. ' Audrey Hepburn's sleek chignon in Breakfast at Tiffany's [1961] became the ultimate symbol of elegance. And from there, things only got bolder,' says Ohio-based hair stylist Kaitlyn Jones. Cue Princess Leia: her double side buns in Star Wars (1977) became one of the most iconic hairstyles in film history, and launched a space-age obsession that's still orbiting today. Carrie Fisher on the set of Star Wars in 1977. Princess Leia's double side buns became one of the most iconic hairstyles in film history, launching a space-age obsession that's still orbiting today. By the 90s, the bun had gone soft. Think messy twists, face-framing tendrils, and a scrunchie or two. It was casual, flirty and paired with spaghetti straps and brown lip liner. Then came the era of the 'supermodel bun': low, slick and glossed to perfection. Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Hailey Bieber made it their off-duty signature – chic, sculpted and never not ready for a flashbulb. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley looks effortlessly elegant on the red carpet, with a slicked back bun the crowning glory to her look. Fashion designers also remain faithful bun enthusiasts. At Christian Siriano autumn/winter 2025, buns took an elegant, sculptural turn, echoing the drama of the collection. Over at Altuzarra, Oribe's principal artist of global content, Mandee Tauber, gave buns a pretzel-like twist: sleek but with a playful edge. That spirit of reinvention carried through to the Max Mara spring 2025 show in Milan , where models wore sleek double buns secured low and symmetrical at the nape of the neck, adding a touch of whimsy to the brand's signature polish. Chic double buns worn by a model at the Max Mara fashion show during the Milan womenswear spring/summer 2025 show in Milan, Italy. The bun's versatility isn't a coincidence: it's practically physics. It works with virtually every hair type, length and texture. High buns elongate faces, low buns soften sharp angles, and side buns add whimsical asymmetry. 'Buns remain a timeless go-to because they're incredibly versatile – whether worn high or low, messy or sleek, they work for nearly every hair type and occasion,' says Andrew Fitzsimons, celebrity hairstylist and founder of Andrew Fitzsimons Hair. 'They strike the perfect balance between effortlessness and polish, which is why people embrace them year after year.'