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Carolina Malis

Contributing writer for Style by SCMP, specialising in beauty, wellness and lifestyle


Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have been tucking their hair into their coats since at least 2004, when photographs from that era show the pair hiding low ponytails under buttoned jackets and fur collars. Nobody called it anything back then. It was just how they looked: slightly undone, entirely deliberate and completely their own. But recently, this habit has quietly acquired a name – one that has spread fast enough to reach runways and front rows.

The Olsen tuck is, at its most literal, the act of tucking your hair into a sweater, scarf or coat collar so it disappears into the neckline. The result is a faux bob silhouette that frames the face and clears everything below the chin – which sounds simple until you see how much it changes a look.
“It’s a styling technique … that creates a clean, contained silhouette,” says Dean Banowetz, celebrity hairstylist and founder of the Hollywood Hair Guy Academy. “It removes volume at the neckline and directs the eye upward to the face” – which in turn draws attention to outerwear, earrings and the bone structure that usually gets buried under a curtain of hair.
Ashley even took it to the Met Gala in 2017, tucking her hair into a lime-green feather-embellished Christian Lacroix jacket. According to her long-time hairstylist Mark Townsend, she liked the look of it while putting the jacket on.

But the real story behind this trend is a little blurry. The Olsens might be the most obvious origin, but Phoebe Philo, the British designer who ran Celine from 2008 to 2017, was doing it too, styling her models with their ends tucked into coats and turtlenecks throughout the early 2010s.
The look also surfaced on runways like Calvin Klein and Altuzarra, and during the Saint Laurent spring 2026 at Paris Fashion Week, it turned up across the whole front row: Madonna arrived with her wavy blonde hair loosely trapped under a leather collar, while Renée Zellweger, Anja Rubik and Zoë Kravitz sat with their hair similarly swept beneath their outerwear.

But what separates a good tuck from one that just looks like you forgot to shake your hair out when you put your coat on? It comes down to prep and texture. “An intentional tuck still feels effortless, but there is a clear decision behind it,” says Marcos Diaz, New York-based celebrity hairstylist whose clients include Hailey Bieber, Sienna Miller and Katy Perry. “The hair has the right amount of texture, the placement is considered, and the silhouette works with the neckline or coat. When it’s accidental, it tends to collapse or feel disconnected from the overall look.”
For finer or straighter textures, he says, adding some grip beforehand helps the tuck hold and feel dimensional rather than flat. Products like Oribe’s Dry Texturizing Spray are reliable here, as is Bumble and Bumble’s Surf Spray for a more lived-in result. On thicker or curlier hair, the goal is softening rather than adding grip. Something like Christophe Robin’s Regenerating Hair Oil with Prickly Pear gives enough slip to keep the tuck from feeling bulky under a collar.

Diaz also recommends detangling properly before you start, especially if you’re tucking into heavier fabrics like thick knits or coats. “I often reach for the Creamy White Miracle Vegan and Detangling Brush from La Bonne Brosse,” he says, “as it is incredibly gentle on the hair while still being effective.” Length shapes how the tuck actually reads: shorter hair might only disappear slightly at the front, creating a partial frame around the face, while longer lengths can vanish entirely into a collar. Either way, Banowetz notes the tuck is particularly effective on multi-tonal colour, where the containment “enhances dimension and contrast” rather than swallowing it.

The collar itself matters too: funnel necks, chunky turtlenecks and oversized scarves give the cleanest shape, while lighter or more open necklines work better with a few face-framing pieces left out to stop it from reading too stiff. It’s a small decision, but it captures something larger about why the tuck works at all. “The Olsen tuck works because it blurs the line between styling and restraint,” Diaz says. “It is not about doing more, it is about knowing when to stop.”


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Beauty

Explainer: What is the Olsen tuck – and how did it become a beauty statement?

It all goes back to a casual hairstyle adopted by Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen back in 2004. Photo: Getty Images

Ashley Olsen at the Met Gala event in New York in 2017. Photo: WireImage

Phoebe Philo during the Celine fall/winter 2011-12 show during Paris Fashion Week in 2011. Photo: WireImage

Madonna poses before the Saint Laurent spring/summer 2026 collection is presented in Paris, in September 2025. Photo: AP Photo

Hair care products like Christophe Robin Regenerating Hair Oil with Prickly Pear helps in shaping the Olsen tuck. Photo: Handout

Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray can be used to give the Olsen tuck a more lived-in look. Photo: Handout

Met Gala’s red carpet looks: from Bad Bunny and Beyoncé to Sabrina Carpenter

Co-chairs Nicole Kidman, Lauren  Sanchez Bezos and Anna Wintour at the 2026 Met Gala, the annual benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, in New York. Photo: APA

Co-chairs Nicole Kidman in Chanel, Lauren Sanchez in Schiaparelli and Anna Wintour (also in Chanel) greet guests at the Met Gala. Photo: Reuters

Lisa from Blackpink. Photo: AP

Jisoo from Blackpink. Photo: AFP

Rosé from Blackpink. Photo: Reuters

Beyoncé. Photo: Reuters

Sombr. Photo: AFP

Bad Bunny. Photo: AFP.

Kylie Jenner. Photo: AFP

Connor Storrie. Photo: Reuters

Eileen Gu. Photo: AFP

Sarah Pidgeon. Photo: EPA

Sabrina Carpenter. Photo: AFP

Cher. Photo: AFP

Kendall Jenner. Photo: AFP

Jennie from Blackpink. Photo: AFP

Tyla. Photo: AFP

Kim Kardashian. Photo: AFP

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6 playful spring fashion drops from Dior, Delvaux, Weekend Max Mara and more

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YanYan spring/summer collection knits. Photo: Handout

Weekend Max Mara boat shoes (pup not included). Photo: Handout

Canada Goose lightweight rain jackets. Photo: Handout

 Cecilie Bahnsen party dresses. Photo: Handout

Delvaux Brillant Tempo bag. Photo: Handout

From Guangdong to New Mexico, craft-focused brands are shaping fashion’s future

Kinyan Lam’s spring/summer 2025 looks on the runway in Paris. Photo: Valerio Mezzanotti

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LVMH Prize semi-finalist Josh Tafoya is inspired by the heritage of the American Southwest. Photo: Handout

Kinyan Lam’s textiles use all-natural dyes sourced from artisans in China’s Guangdong province. Photo: Handout

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Also from New Delhi, Kartik Research fall/winter 2026. Photo: Handout

Skye Hankey on philanthropy and supporting emerging designers via Fashion Trust US

Skye Hankey with Zac Posen and Joseph Altuzarra at Fashion Trust US in Los Angeles. Photo: Handout

Skye Hankey was at the White House for an Easter event this month. Photo: Handout

Skye Hankey with actress Pamela Anderson. Photo: Handout 

Skye Hankey wore an animal-print dress from graduate award winner Marcelle Barbosa. Photo: Handout

Major industry players such as Steven Kolb, CEO of the CFDA, were at the event too. Photo: Handout

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The chic look was first spotted on the Olsens in the noughties – Ashley even took it to the Met Gala once – and now it’s spotted on red carpets and stars like Madonna


The chic look was first spotted on the Olsens in the noughties – Ashley even took it to the Met Gala once – and now it’s spotted on red carpets and stars like Madonna.
