Teyana Taylor's Revives 1950s Pin Curls

Teyana Taylor at The Critics Choice Association's Celebration of Black Cinema and Television.

Ryan Destiny at The Critics Choice Association’s 8th Annual Celebration of Black Cinema & Television held at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel on December 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

Tessa Thompson at The Critics Choice Association’s 8th Annual Celebration of Black Cinema & Television held at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel on December 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

Jurnee Smollett at The Critics Choice Association’s 8th Annual Celebration of Black Cinema & Television held at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel on December 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

Tenika Davis at The Critics Choice Association’s 8th Annual Celebration of Black Cinema & Television held at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel on December 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

Teyana Taylor is reviving 1950s glamour one pin curl at a time.

Less than a week after her 2026 Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture was announced, the actress stepped out for the eighth annual Critics Choice Association’s Celebration of Black Cinema and Television in Los Angeles, donning her trademark pixie cut. Rather than straightening the short layers, Taylor added movement with small ripples à la Betty Rizzo from “Grease.”

Teyana Taylor at The Critics Choice Association’s 8th Annual Celebration of Black Cinema & Television held at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel on December 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. — Teyana Taylor styled pin curls at The Critics Choice Association’s eighth annual Celebration of Black Cinema and Television. Gilbert Flores/Variety

The pixie cut has long been a staple style in the big book of hair, with many starlets — from Josephine Baker to Audrey Hepburn — credited as the original trendsetters. Pin curls, specifically, rose to prominence in the late 1940s to early ’50s as the new and improved finger method. The technique involves using a skinny curling iron to shape small sections of the head before removing the tool and setting the curl with a clip. After an hour or so, once the head is complete, the clips are taken out.

Taylor has often tapped stylist and wig designer Lateafa Alvaranga to create her pixie cut and pin curls; however, it’s not certain the artist was behind her hairdo on Tuesday night. WWD has reached out for confirmation. The “One Battle After Another” star has also worked with celebrity hair architect Edith Donaldson-Wheeler, the visionary behind her same hairstyle at the Paris premiere of “All’s Fair.”

For makeup, Taylor often partners with Yeika Glow (@yeikaglow on Instagram). Together, the two imagined her underwater watercolor glam for the 2022 Met Gala and her bronzy visage for the 2025 Costume Exhibit opening. WWD has contacted Glow to confirm whether the artist helped construct Taylor’s visage for the Critics Choice Association’s gathering, where she was photographed with a bold, brown lip, wispy lash extensions and dusty white shadow. Her nails were cut square, painted black and airbrushed with white on top.

Chase Infiniti at The Critics Choice Association’s 8th Annual Celebration of Black Cinema & Television held at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel on December 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. — Chase Infiniti opted for a no-makeup-makeup aesthetic at the event. Gilbert Flores/Variety

Elsewhere at the event, Taylor’s “One Battle After Another” costar, Chase Infiniti, was spotted with a no-makeup-makeup aesthetic, featuring rose shimmer on her eyes, mascara and the faintest amount of blush on her cheekbones. Her lips were dressed in a desert taupe hue.