Mélanie Laurent tries an undone updo at the Lacoste show and shakes up her signature hairstyle
A loosely pinned chignon, a few rebellious strands, and a look that breaks with her usual habits: Mélanie Laurent turned heads at the Lacoste show on Sunday 8 March 2026, during Paris Fashion Week. For an actress known for her polished, understated hairstyles, the change of direction was worth a closer look.
Mélanie Laurent’s imperfect updo sends a clear signal
For years, Mélanie Laurent has cultivated a quietly consistent approach to her hair. A long bob with a smooth blow-dry, a curtain fringe with a side sweep, soft waves on longer lengths: her signature has always been one of effortless, unfussy elegance. Which is precisely why her appearance with a deliberately undone chignon at the Lacoste Autumn-Winter 2026/2027 show caught everyone’s attention.
The show took place on the courts of Roland-Garros, the iconic home ground for the brand with the little crocodile. She was joined by a host of other familiar faces: Natasha Andrews, Pierre Niney, Aubrey Plaza, as well as Amy Adams, Eva Queen, Alice Moitié and Marguerite, who rose to fame through the Star Academy. Yet it was the actress’s hairstyle, she is also part of the cast of the upcoming series The Land, that drew the most attention.
Fashion Week 2026 embraces the undone hair moment
Mélanie Laurent’s choice was far from a one-off. This season, Paris Fashion Week made a clear statement in favour of undone, lived-in hair, leaving sleek perfection firmly behind. So-called “messy” hair dominated the front rows across numerous shows, proving that a hairstyle doesn’t need to be immaculately brushed or slicked back to make an impact.
At Loewe, Sarah Pidgeon went for a deliberately loose look, her long hair tucked into the collar of her jacket, a styling idea already spotted on the Courrèges runway just days earlier. At the Yves Saint Laurent show, Charlotte Gainsbourg wore a confidently dishevelled mane. At Givenchy, Alexa Chung opted for an undone updo in the same spirit as Mélanie Laurent’s look at Lacoste.
Meanwhile, Chappell Roan‘s theatrical hairstyles dominated front rows throughout the season, adding a spectacular dimension to this broader trend of controlled undone-ness.
What these hair looks say about the season
The personalities filling the front rows of the Paris shows sent a clear message: the ultra-polished hairstyle, not a single strand out of place, is no longer the only benchmark for chic. By choosing deliberately imperfect hair looks, they illustrate a shift in direction that the runways themselves had already anticipated, as seen in the “jacket collar” inspiration spotted at Courrèges before being adopted in the front row at Loewe.
- Mélanie Laurent and her imperfect updo at the Lacoste show, 8 March 2026
- Sarah Pidgeon and her hair tucked into a jacket collar at Loewe
- Charlotte Gainsbourg and her dishevelled hair at the Yves Saint Laurent show
- Alexa Chung and her undone chignon at Givenchy
- Chappell Roan and her theatrical hairstyles in the front row this season
This collective move towards embraced imperfection goes well beyond each celebrity’s personal choice. It reflects an aesthetic direction driven by the houses themselves, from the catwalk to the front row. For anyone looking for inspiration, the message is concrete: an updo that isn’t quite perfect, a few strands escaping, hair that looks like it’s actually been lived in, that is precisely what fashion is endorsing right now. Mélanie Laurent, with her long-standing preference for minimalist hairstyles, may well be the most eloquent example of this shift this season.
