Cardi B Debuts Razor-Sharp Alien Bangs at Mugler's Paris Fashion Week Show

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 26 September 2024

Cardi B apparently couldn't see a thing through her angular alien princess wig at the Mugler Spring 2025 show. Clad in a sculptural black mini dress, the rapper and new mom said as much to Dazed ahead of the star-studded Paris Fashion Week presentation. But I, for one, am grateful for the rapper's sacrifice, because the resulting look is undeniably the most interesting beauty moment to emerge from Fashion Month 2024 so far.

The theatrical hair style hinges on a set of razor-sharp, V-shaped curtain bangs that were seemingly cut to mirror the angle of Cardi's high cheekbones, then parted directly down the middle to reveal a narrow swath of her forehead. The high-gloss sheen of her jet-black hair, which seemed to catch the light from every angle, only heightened the otherworldly effect.

Cardi B wears alien bangs at the Mugler show — Cardi B and her statement bangs at the Mugler Spring 2025 Ready-to-Wear show.

What's not so obvious in pictures is the sleek bun sitting directly behind Cardi B's thick fringe, although you can see the much better in video clips like this one captured by WWD. I like to think of it as Mugler's science fiction-inspired take on the mullet: warrior helmet in the front, extraterrestrial baddie in the back.

A similarly surreal-yet-familiar approach was taken with Cardi's makeup, which featured '90s-inspired black lip liner, pale pink lipstick, and a small face gem placed atop a heavy dusting of pink blush.

Cardi B at the Mugler show — Cardi B posing in a sculptural black dress before the Mugler 2025 runway show.

Cardi's wig—along with similar wigs worn by several of the models—was created by experimental Chinese hairstylist Zhou Xue Ming. The rapper's bangs were snipped a bit shorter than the mouth-grazing hair pieces used on the runway, but both versions of the high-brow bowl cut paired perfectly with creative director Casey Cadwallader's future-nostalgic designs.

A model wearing one of Zhou Xue Ming's wigs on the Mugler 2025 runway.

Let's hope Mugler's love affair with Cardi B never ends. Because frankly, I'm not sure who else would have been able to pull this look off.

Hanna Lustig is a staff writer at Marie Claire, where she gets to gab every day about the topics she holds most dear: fashion, beauty, and celebrity. Hanna’s editorial journey began with formative internships at Elle and InStyle, where she was lucky enough to work for some of the smartest women in media while she was still in college at the University of Tennessee. Hanna then accepted a digital culture reporting fellowship at Insider, where she helped carve out a new beat dedicated to covering influencers. Those experiences later served her well as a staff writer at Glamour, where she developed a knack for spinning quick turnaround celebrity news and trend reporting into juicy feature stories. Some of her greatest hits include an earnest ode to the no-pants trend, this meticulously reported feature exploring the rise of endoscopic facelifts, this snappy take on the Chanel-designed fantasy of Sofia Richie’s wedding, this tribute to WAGs past and present, and this timeline of Katie Holmes’s life and career as told through her denim collection.

Diane Keaton once hung up on Hanna during an interview, but thankfully that mishap did not derail what has otherwise been a deeply fulfilling career writing for and about women. As one of Marie Claire's resident experts on style and culture, her current coverage ranges from exploring TikTok's contrast makeup theory and the return of the boat shoe trend to interviews with costume designers for hit shows like Nobody Wants This and The Penguin. When she’s not at work, Hanna can probably be found listening to pop music, talking to her dog, and gossiping with her best friends. For more of Hanna’s perfect opinions on pop culture, you can follow her on Instagram and X.

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