Martha Stewart's French Updo Is Messy and Perfect at the Same Time

a white woman with short, blonde hair poses for a photo in front of a black background

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Being alive during Martha Stewart's baddie era truly feels like a gift. She's become pretty familiar with sharing the occasional thirst trap in recent years (that's a sentence I never thought I'd say), and honestly, I don't think I'll ever get tired of it. Especially not after seeing the bombshell updo she's wearing in her most recent one.

On Feb. 2, Stewart hosted a dinner in Los Angeles for her skincare brand, Elm Biosciences. As a host, she obviously had to show up to up the event in her very best, so she attended wearing gold leather pants along with a butter yellow blouse and a cream cardigan. But the real masterpiece was her hair, which was lightly curled before being expertly piled on top of her head in a retro, French-style updo. The look featured a few loose pieces all around her head and a side bang that hung just above one of her eyes.

At some point in the last few years, Stewart added Chris Appleton (aka the beloved hairstylist of both Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner) to her glam team, and of course he's the brains behind the style. Shortly after the event, Appleton shared a before-and-after video of Stewart to Instagram alongside the caption, "Challenge accepted."

A post shared by Chris Appleton (@chrisappleton1)
A photo posted by on

So far, celebrities have been loving messy ponytails and updos in 2026. It was the hairstyle of choice at this year's Golden Globe Awards, and it even made a few appearances at the Grammys earlier this week. In a previous MC story, celebrity hairstylist Rogério Cavalcante told us that "in 2026, hair isn't about perfection—it's about intention," predicting that "effortless, but never accidental" styles will be having a major moment this year.

This is good news, considering everyone loves a low effort hairstyle because of how easy they are to achieve, but they can be just as elegant and red carpet-worthy as the sleeker looks. To recreate Martha Stewart's bombshell French updo at home, read ahead to shop some essentials.

Wavytalk

Blown Away Ionic Hair Dryer

Start by giving yourself a blowout to create a sleek base.

Hot Tools

Pro Artist 24k Gold Collection Extended Barrel Curling Iron

Grab a curling iron to add some thick curls to your hair.

It's A 10

Miracle Leave-In Product

This leave-in will provide heat protection and defend your hair against frizz.

Kenra Professional

Platinum Dry Texture Spray 6

Give the hair a more voluminous, lived-in look with a texture spray.

Scünci

Prep Bobby Pins

Use however many bobby pins you need to loosely pile your hair on top of your head.

Danielle Jackson is the senior beauty writer at Marie Claire. She has nearly a decade of experience covering beauty, lifestyle, and entertainment and was previously the senior beauty editor at Women's Health, where she thoughtfully covered topics related to skincare, haircare, aesthetics, and wellness. Before that, she spent three years as an assistant beauty editor at PS, and in the years since, her work has appeared in titles like Vogue, InStyle, Glamour, and more. Danielle graduated from the University of Georgia with a BA in English, and has lived in Brooklyn for almost ten years. When she's not writing, you can find her reading romance novels and talking about sunscreen. You can find her on Instagram @danielleknecole.