Madelyn Cline’s Met Gala ’24 Hair Was So Good It Gave Her Hairstylist Goosebumps

Madelyn Cline looked like a fairytale princess at the 2024 Met Gala — but in the absolute best way possible. Her hair, swept back effortlessly by celebrity hairstylist Marc Mena was tousled to perfection with extra oomph and enviable length. From social media posts and red carpet coverage of the actress playfully tossing her hair back, Cline was feeling herself and with good reason.

Of the look Mena had this to say, “The inspiration was the dress, Tommy Hilfiger is a legacy brand so we wanted something that was going to be true to Tommy. American, but like a fantasy garden, we wanted her to be like a fairy. The dress was very ethereal so we wanted the hair to be ethereal and whimsical, but also timeless.” Great Lengths extensions were key to that next-level effect. The Tease asked Mena how he felt about the style as it was coming together and he shared, “As I was doing her hair, the minute I picked up the wand and did the first curl, I felt goosebumps. I knew this look was going to be magical.” 

Scroll for a detailed breakdown on how to recreate that magic for your next client.

Get the Look:

1. Marc predried the hair to give it some body before applying the Great Lengths tape ins and smoothed it out using a flat brush. 
2. Once the hair was smoothed, he set the top of her head with medium sized rollers to start creating some volume as he applied the tape ins.
3. Once the rollers were set, he re-blew it out using a round ceramic brush to give her some body and then let it sit and bake while he applied Great Lengths tape in extensions.
4. He applied Great Lengths starting in the back, on the nape of her head, to right above her crown, all around her head to provide maximum volume, thickness and length.
5. Once he applied the tape ins, he then cut the hair, blending it into her hair. He used four different colors of extensions to match her existing hair color: Honey Blonde, Bronze, Brown and Blonde. 
6. Once the tape ins were applied, Marc misted the ends of the hair with water and then applied a Maria Nila Pure Volume Mousse from mid shaft to ends.
7. He then re-blew out the hair using a round thermal brush and reset the whole head in rollers with pins.
8. Once the hair was set in rollers, he used Maria Nila Invisidry Shampoo at the root to create volume.
9. After 15 minutes, he then removed the rollers and applied Maria Nila Cream Heat Spray from down below the scalp to the ends.
10. He then used multiple curling wands from one inch to one and a half inch to a quarter inch to create a whimsical texture throughout the hair.
11. Once he got the proper texture, he then used a setting spray and invisible dry shampoo to give an airy feeling to the hair. 
12. Finally, he pulled her hair away from her face in a natural way.

Planning to recreate this style? Make sure to tag @readthetease on Instagram or TikTok so we can see and show some love!