Cara Delevingne is many things: a successful model, actor, activist, and brand ambassador. And she just so happens to always have incredible hair while doing all three.
When it comes to her hair, let's just say that she's definitely not scared to try ... well, anything. In the beginning of her career — when she was walking every single runway show in New York, London, Milan, and Paris, and simultaneously making her acting debut in Anna Karenina — she pretty much left her mid-length, ash-blond hair alone. But that didn't keep her from experimenting with lots of different styles. In those early years, she played around with plaits and waves and the occasional hat or hair accessory.
In March 2017, Delevingne made a big change, cutting her hair into a long bob and bleaching it a shade of platinum blond that was so light, it almost looked white. But the shorter cut didn't stop her from doing the plaits and waves she loved before, proving to the naysayers just how versatile short hair can be.
Three months later, Delevingne dared for an even bigger hair change, arriving at the Met Gala in May 2017 with her head shaved, which she did for her role in Life in a Year. But even a buzz cut didn't stop Delevingne from having fun with her beauty look. For the Met Gala, she decorated her shaved head with silver paint and jewels [1], hinting at all the fun colors and designs her and her go-to hairstylist, Mara Roszak, would try in the weeks and months to come.
In 2019, Delevingne has embarked on the tedious process of growing out her hair, but the actor's met the challenge head on . . . literally. She's masked the awkward regrowth phase with strategically placed accessories, half wigs, and twisted top knots [2].
Due to coronavirus, we haven't had quite as many hair moments in 2020 so far, but luckily Delevingne served some fabulous looks just before the global pandemic hit, including old Hollywood-style waves and an orange feathered ponytail.
Ahead, we rounded up Delevingne's red carpet hair highlights so that you can follow the star's ever-changing hair evolution — and hey, maybe even get inspired to finally make a big hair change of your own.
Cara Delevingne's Old Hollywood Waves, 2020
In February, Delevingne took it back to basics with old Hollywood waves. She styled her hair in a side part tucked behind one ear, leaving the waves on her left side flow down. Simple and beautiful.
Cara Delevingne's High Ponytail, 2020
Sometimes you just can't beat a simple high ponytail. Whilst in Milan in February for Fashion Week, Delevingne chose to wear a superhigh blond ponytail to contrast her dark brunette roots and pretty lilac suit.
Cara Delevingne's Feathered Orange Ponytail, 2020
For the Dior Menswear show in Paris, Delevingne's hair was the definition of business in the front, party in the back. From the front, the style looked like a simple slicked-back side part pony. At the back, she wore a bunch of orange feathers, which were intertwined into the ponytail.
Cara Delevingne's Haberdashery Ponytail, 2019
For the Los Angeles premiere of Delevingne's new show [3], Carnival Row, Roszak got crafty, stopping at a haberdashery store in Beverly Hills to buy orange and lilac ribbon to match both the actor's Iris van Herpen dress and orange-and-lilac eye shadow by makeup artist Molly Stern. After creating a double ponytail (one secured at the crown of the head and one at the nape of the neck), Roszak adhered strips of the purple and orange ribbons along the parts on either side of Delevingne's head almost like racing stripes, giving the overall look a graphic, sporty sort of vibe.
Cara Delevingne's Faux Undercut, 2019
One of Delevingne's favorite hairstyles is taking a simple wavy lob and turning it into an intricate braided work of art. She did exactly that for a Carnival Row conference with double side braids above one ear.
Cara Delevingne's Twisted Top Knot, 2019
For a hot day at Comic-Con, Delevingne wore her bright blond hair in a fun twisted top knot [4]. But that wasn't the only hair surprise. At the back of her head, the hair was sectioned into a low bun that was then twisted into itself.
Cara Delevingne's Slicked Back, Half-Up Style, 2019
Delevingne defies gravity with this slicked back, half-up style that doesn't seem to include a single hair tie.
Cara Delevingne's Campy Headpiece and Extralong Ponytail, 2019
Once you register everything that's going on with Delevingne's over-the-top headpiece at the 2019 Met Gala [5], make sure you look down at her waist-length ponytail — a style we don't often seem from the star.
Cara Delevingne's Double Side Braids, 2019
Braids on braids was the theme for Delevingne's hair at the Christian Dior Fall 2019 runway show in February. There's a lot going on with this look, but in a very good way: Notice how her hairstylist created a faux fringe by sweeping the front layer of hair across her forehead and tucking it into the thick side braid. But that's not all. There's an extra plait — an inside out French braid — on the other side of her head that's holding the sleek style in place.
Cara Delevingne's Threads of Golden Highlights, 2018
Here, Delevingne's gorgeous golden highlights and lowlights are what not only give her hair dimension, but also what soften the piecey ends, which are leftover from her shorter, shaggy pixie cut.
Cara Delevingne's Wedding Top Hat, 2018
Delevingne's honey blond hair peeped out from under her top hat, making a major style statement (and defying royal style traditions) at "London punk rock" [6] for the UK premiere of Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, hairstylist Mara Roszak tied a black ribbon around Delevingne's icy blond pixie cut, cutting short, side-sweeping fringe and long, face-framing layers that she pulled in front of both the band and her ears to soften the overall silhouette of the style.
Cara Delevingne's Sparkly Pixie, 2017
Delevingne used loose glitter as a way to dress up her classic pixie cut, which at the time was too short for most barrettes and hair baubles. The aquamarine-colored sparkle started along the bottom half of her hair — encircling her ear — and extended right down her neck, creating a seamless stretch of sparkle from head to toe.
Cara Delevingne's Metallic Marcel Waves, 2017
These finger waves were actually a hair piece: Roszak added a half wig [7] to one side of Delevinge's hair and used a purple shampoo to give the hair a greyish tone that echoed the color of her silver dress and taupe makeup.
Cara Delevingne's Shooting Star Barrette, 2017
Blurring the line between statement jewelry and hair accessory, Delevingne wore a shooting star barrette (or brooch) along one side of her white-blond pixie in July 2017.
Cara Delevingne's Icy Blond Pixie Cut, 2017
Delevingne's trick to growing out a buzz cut? Dye it an icy shade of blond, of course.
Cara Delevingne's Buzz Cut, 2017
Delevingne used the opportunity to put all the attention on her gorgeous features, wearing winged liner and a vampy, deep-purple lipstick, a color that made her blue eyes look even bluer.
Cara Delevingne's Silver-Painted Shaved Head, 2017
After learning that Delevingne shaved her hair for a role, hairstylist Mara Roszak admitted that she worried she "might not have a job anymore." But that wasn't the case, because this is the Delevingne we're talking about — she tasked Roszak with decorating her shaved head. Using stencils, acrylic paint, and makeup sponges, Roszak painted an abstract pattern on the back of Cara's head that looked like a legit piece of jewelry.
Cara Delevingne's Chrome Head Paint, 2017
Delevingne debuted her newly shaved head in the most epic way possible at the 2017 Met Gala. Makeup artist Romy Soleimani combined Mehron Silver Metallic Powder with MAC Mixing Medium [8], and painted the mixture over her bald head, letting it dip down onto her forehead, creating the outline of where a fringe might be. Soleimani then topped off the silver paint with glitter hairspray (to add dimension) and finished with a smattering of Swarovski crystals that she stuck on with Spirit Gum.
Cara Delevingne's Platinum Blond Soft Bends, 2017
Old Hollywood waves — but make it extremely cool. At CinemaCon, Delevingne wore her lob with a deep, diagonal side part, adding soft bends at the front of the hair à la Veronica Lake in the '40s. The cool, platinum tone and short length breathed new life into the classic red carpet style.
Cara Delevingne's Twisted Side Braid, 2017
Delevingne gave up for favorite side braid for a unexpected twist . . . literally, weaving a rope-like twist into one side of nearly white-blond bob.
Cara Delevingne's Sleek Long Bob, 2017
Delevingne switched things up with a middle part and superstraight hair, a style that showed off her blunt cut beautifully.
Cara Delevingne's Choppy Brunette Pixie, 2017
Before going platinum, Delevingne dyed her choppy pixie — complete with micro-fringe — brunette.
Cara Delevingne's Waterfall Waves With Gold Chain, 2016
Look closely and you'll see Delevingne's gorgeous spirals feature a tiny, yet gorgeous, detail. For a red carpet event, Roszak draped a gold Jennifer Behr chain [9] across the back of Delevingne's hair, which was hidden enough not to take away from the entire look, but had just enough texture and shine to make things interesting.
Cara Delevingne's Ashy Blond Waves, 2016
If you're thinking about dyeing your hair dark for Winter months, let Delevingne's cool-toned shade of blond from September 2016 convince you otherwise. The pale hue is a great way to go lighter without washing out your skin in the process.
Cara Delevingne's Jeweled Barrettes and Side-Swept Waves , 2016
It's not the first time Delevingne's worn Old Hollywood-style waves clipped off to one side with a jeweled accessory, but we're still not bored of it yet.
Cara Delevingne's Twisted Half-Up Ponytail, 2016
Can't braid? Take a tip from Delevingne and twist pieces of hair into a half-up ponytail instead.
Cara Delevingne's Space Buns, 2016
Delevingne gave us all the '90s vibes with high, slightly messy space buns and two face-framing tendrils of hair purposefully left hanging loose.
Cara Delevingne's Dutch Braids, 2016
Delevingne made a case for neat dutch braids at the Suicide Squad Press Conference — worn with a middle part and a striking bordeaux-colored lipstick.
Cara Delevingne's Teensy-Tiny Parting Plait, 2016
For the 2016 MTV Movie Awards, Roszak found a way to spice up Delevingne's go-to side parting for the casual red carpet event. Taking a piece of hair from behind Delevingne's right ear, Roszak made a tiny plait, braiding it all the way to the ends and tying it off with an elastic. Then she lifted the braid up towards Delevingne's temple, secured it against her hairline with a piece of wig tape, and wrapped it along the part.
Cara Delevingne's Braided Top Knot, 2016
Braids, braids, and more braids was Delevingne's hair motto in 2016. While attending the Chanel Spring 2016 during Paris Fashion Week, she braided the front half of her hair into three plaits that were then all gathered into a knobby topknot.
Cara Delevingne's Braided Ponytail, 2015
Who said a ponytail has to boring? Delevingne definitely didn't when she added five symmetrical braids into her hair before pulling it all into a high-ish pony with the ends just slightly waved.
Cara Delevingne's Loose Romantic Braid, 2015
Braids don't get more romantic than the one Delevingne wore to the Paper Towns New York premiere. Roszak twisted pieces of hair together to create a waterfall effect, and we're still madly in love with the style.
Cara Delevingne's Honey-Colored Curls, 2015
Her hair dyed a warm shade of honey blond, Delevingne's curls took a tighter turn at a Paper Towns photocall.
Cara Delevingne's Long, Ash-Blond Layers, 2015
The smooth, simple blowout Delevingne wore at a Paper Towns Press Conference in 2015 showed off her long, fluid layers as well as her gorgeous ash-blond hue, which is probably the closest to the model/actor's natural hair color as we're every going to see.
Cara Delevingne's Finger-Wave Fringe, 2015
Side parting? Check. Low ponytail? Check. Immaculate finger-wave fringe? Check. Delevingne's 2015 MTV Movie Awards hairstyle combined many of her favorite elements to create one unexpected look.
Cara Delevingne's Boater Hat and Low Ponytail, 2015
Delevingne's appearance at the Valentino Fall 2015 show during Paris Fashion Week gave us a lesson in pairing a low ponytail and gelled fringe with a boater hat, and making it look chic as hell.
Cara Delevingne's Model-of-Duty Waves, 2015
Delevingne fully embraced the model-off-duty aesthetic with matte, purposefully-dishevelled waves, heavy black eye liner, and another superstylish black hat.
Cara Delevingne's Glamorous Old Hollywood Waves, 2015
It's not often that we see Delevingne stepping onto the red carpet in such a traditionally glamorous look, but when she did for the Elle Style Awards in London, she totally nailed it. Her classic, side-parted curls are full of volume and shine, while the face-framing layers are perfectly waved and set to highlight those feline-esque eyes and cheekbones.
Cara Delevingne's Messy Side Braid, 2014
Delevingne's love affair with braids started early, with this loose chunky side plait at the LACMA Art and Film Gala in November 2014. The look evoked the rumpled side braids seen at Alexander Wang's Spring 2010 runway show a few years earlier, a hairstyle that became so popular, it was replicated in magazines and on the red carpet for years to come.
Cara Delevingne's Beachy Ombré Blond Waves, 2014
A middle part and very laid-back waves were the perfect combination to best accentuate Delevingne's ombré hair color, which went from ash blond at the roots to a brighter, more golden hue toward the ends.
Cara Delevingne's Curled-In Waves, 2014
Another red carpet, another side-parted, wavy style for Delevingne, who for the 2014 GQ Men of the Year Awards, tried the look with very little volume on top and lots of body at the bottom.
Cara Delevingne's Ringlets and Hair Jewelry, 2014
As if you needed any more proof that side-swept waves are her thing, there's this springy style Delevingne wore at the 2014 Met Gala. Flipped to one side and curled in big ringlets, we love the addition of the silver chain that seems to act as both a decoration and a way to keep her hair secured in place.