2026 is proving to be Anne Hathaway’s year. Mother Mary, Verity, and the Odysseyare just some of the major movie notches she’ll be adding to her belt, but right now all eyes are on The Devil Wears Prada 2 and its whirlwind press tour. Hitting home turf last night, Hathaway arrived at Leicester Square for the London premiere of the film having swerved method dressing in favour of her signature style.
Hathaway has leaned into her on-screen alter-ego, Andrea Sachs, multiple times throughout the world premieres, even donning Sachs’ wispy fringe at one point, but her method dressing tourdrobe came to close last night as she stepped out with a snatched high ponytail.
Looking ‘snatched’ is something Anne Hathaway has added to her beauty repertoire of late. When preparing for the Oscars in March, she took to Instagram with her go-to hairstylist Orlando Pita to reveal her ‘secret’ hair hack to looking lifted in seconds. On camera Pita unearths two mini braids that are knotted onto either side of Hathaway’s temples. ‘We have one on each side and we bring it together in the back,’ he says. Before Hathaway quickly adds, ‘and you look a little bit more awake.’
The trick works like a snatched high ponytail does, tugging the scalp upward and setting it into place with hair that has been cleverly secured into position. For Hathaway’s newest look, Pita did away with the tricks and went full throttle. ‘We were not thinking of Andrea, this was all Annie,’ says Pita, ‘the inspiration was Brunette Barbie’.
‘I came up with this because both dresses last night were low cut with bare shoulders and she has a beautiful neck and I wanted to accentuate that. No reference pics were used. It’s lucky we did this [style] because it was very windy last night. I did ponytails for the Korea and Mexico premieres, too, what’s different with this one is it had lots of volume.’
To create the look, Pita started by blow drying Hathaway’s hair with a volume spray and then back combed the roots at the crown. ‘I then brushed all the hair back into a high ponytail and added a few extensions around it before covering the base with a piece of hair’. To marry the look, he back combed the hair extensions into Hathaway’s hair and smoothed it out, before finishing it off with some hairspray.
‘I didn’t have to use any tricks,’ Pita adds, ‘A tight, high ponytail gives a great lift. I think sleek, high ponytails continue to be popular because it’s a young, fresh way to dress up an evening gown. The snatch and lift aspect is an added plus.’
Celebrity hairstylist Jay Brimingham concurs, ‘the snatched high pony is a trend that will forever be a staple in the celebrity world, it comes back around every so often and portrays strength and sophistication. It’s big for 2026 as there is a real trend for high necklines in the fashion world, and this slick-back look balances this perfectly.’
Birmingham says arming yourself with the right brush is key to nailing the smooth, sleek style. He advises using a large paddle brush to gather your hair at the crown, ‘while working around the head, ensuring each section is pulled back nice and tight, without any loose hairs or bump’. Then, grab a fine tooth comb to gently brush any loose hairs into place at the crown. Birmingham’s top tip? Use a snap-free hairband to secure the ponytail but be sure to leave a very small section of the hair loose and use this to wrap around the ponytail to cover the hairband for a seamless finish.
This story first appeared on GRAZIA UK.
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