Gigi Hadid Returns to the Runway—as a Redhead

It’s been almost exactly a year since usual runway regular Gigi Hadid walked the catwalk, and quite understandably—the 25-year-old supermodel gave birth to her first child in late September. But this past weekend brought a hint that she’d be officially back to work soon, when she rejoined the street style brigade at Milan Fashion Week.

It turns out Hadid did indeed have a return in store. On Friday, she made a surprise appearance at Versace’s fall 2021 spring outing, alongside models like Adut Akech, Mica Argañaraz, Irina Shayk, and her sister Bella. (Plus the house’s new favorite, “plus-size” model Precious Lee.) Hadid would have made a splash anyway, but on top of that, she opened and closed the show—and, in a beauty first, as a redhead.

Hadid has made hair changes before, though almost exclusively for photo shoots. (She went platinum blonde for W, for example, in a tribute to Blondie in 2018.) But as she shared on her Instagram Stories, this time, it isn’t a wig. Inspiration for the permanent change came from Anja Taylor-Joy’s character in the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, though there may have been another factor in Hadid’s decision. Bella recently went partially red, E-girl- (or the Smashing Pumpkin’s James Iha)-style.