Back to school 2026: this ultra-voluminous blow-dry inspired by Cindy Crawford is back in fashion

Back to school 2026: this ultra-voluminous blow-dry inspired by Cindy Crawford is back in fashion
In the midst of an 80’s revival, Kaia Gerber displays in The Shards an 80’s big blowout like Cindy Crawford on the benches of a Los Angeles high school. Can this voluminous and supple blow-dry really establish itself as the star hairstyle of the back-to-school season?

On the red carpets, hair from the 80s is making a comeback: volume, fluffy finish, well-brushed locks. At the Grammys in February, Miley Cyrus showed off a bouffant hairstyle with face-framing curls. It remains to be seen which version of this revival will prevail for the start of the school year.

In the series The Shards by Ryan Murphy, broadcast since August 6 on Disney+, the character of Susan Reynolds is played by Kaia Gerber. For this high school student from 80’s Los Angeles, the model adopts the 80’s big blowout. A voluminous blow-dry inspired by the famous “The Cindy Crawford blowout” (who is none other than her mother in real life!) Puffy roots, soft lengths and airy locks: retro glamor that remains surprisingly wearable on a daily basis.

Kaia Gerber’s 80’s big blowout and the Cindy Crawford legacy

In the 1980s and 1990s, top model Cindy Crawford made this blowout her trademark, to the point that it was nicknamed “The Cindy Crawford blowout.” The principle: volume that starts from the roots, ends rounded outwards and movement that frames the face without tight curls.

This detail counts: the 80’s big blowout remains flexible. For Miley Cyrus’ 80’s hairstyle at the Grammys, hairstylist Bob Recine explained: “We wanted something very voluminous… but sexy, messy and pleasant to the touch.”he indicated. This is the balance sought on Kaia Gerber in The Shards : spectacular, but fluid.

Why Kaia Gerber’s 80’s big blowout makes you want to go back to school

The Shardsadapted from the novel The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis, follows a group of high school students in Los Angeles in the 80s. Kaia Gerber plays Susan Reynolds, an almost perfect teenager, attractive and elusive. Wearing this glamorous blow-dry in a school setting creates an inspiring model for a confident back-to-school hairstyle.

This choice comes as 80s-inspired cuts are making a comeback everywhere. The hairstyles are described as having volume and a fluffy finish, with massive, well-brushed hair, sometimes combined with a perm or mullet. Zendaya, among others, already focuses on full and curly lengths. The Kaia Gerber style blowout is part of this movement, in a brushed and softer version.

Adopt the 80’s big blowout at home, with or without blow drying

To adopt it, the idea is not to copy every strand of Kaia Gerber, but to reproduce her spirit. On almost dry hair, you can work the roots with a round brush by lifting them towards the back. Then round the ends outwards. A veil of fixing spray is enough. In the 80s, hairspray was already used to set without making the hair completely rigid.

Those who prefer to avoid blow-drying can focus on texture. A popular tip consists of making two braids on damp hair in the evening, undoing them when you wake up. Then draw a line on the side. We obtain soft waves and natural volume. Wear it loose, in a half-tail or in a ponytail to keep that 80’s touch.