Do you remember prom magazines? My friends and I would spend hours browsing their glossy pages in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, picking out our favorite dresses, accessories, and glam details on every page and dreaming of our own future prom looks. Obviously, updos were a huge part of the prom aesthetic; you had to have your hair swept up, curled, and pinned to keep the attention on your Jessica McClintock A-line gown! Of course, by the time I was of prom-going age in the mid-’00s, the popular “prom updo” was on its way out, but it’s been having a resurgence on the red carpet lately, and Miley Cyrus is the latest celeb to put her stamp on the style.
Cyrus, whose song “Dream as One” appears in the new Avatar movie, popped by Jimmy Kimmel Live in a hairstyle that looked like it walked right off the pages of one of my treasured preteen prom magazines. Her highlighted dark blonde hair was parted deeply to one side and pulled tightly up, with the lengths gathered into a high bun at the crown of her head. Instead of a polished, not-a-hair-out-of-place ballerina bun, though, Cyrus gave her bun a spiky ‘90s-style texture by keeping the ends out, not pinned in place. The front portion of her hair was left loose for a massive tendril situation on just one side of her face.
I can absolutely see this hairstyle paired with a shimmery orange organza two-piece prom dress—and don’t forget the beaded choker or diamond “illusion” necklace to match! But then again, it also looks really cool and modern with a more casual ensemble à la Miley. Instead of the ultimate ‘90s prom manicure, the chunky French tip, Cyrus kept her nails short and bare—all the better to show off the diamond ring on that finger.