Lily Collins' Side-Parted Copper Curls Are Autumn Hair Goals

Anyone who devoured the last five episodes of Emily In Paris season four will be up to speed with Lily Collins' endless carousel of high-fashion hairstyles, where her flamboyant outfits were paired with an equally dramatic array of elaborate updos, high-octane curls and extra-long lengths.

The plot, which took an unexpected turn on the streets of Rome and is now confirmed for a fifth season in the Italian capital, has seen Collins embrace a number of on-trend hairstyles - but her most transformative cut happened off-screen, when the actor debuted a razored bob whilst promoting the new season.

After experimenting with her new bob (we've taken style notes from her 'flapper bob' and razor-sharp finish), Collins has now has just made a case for another major autumn hair trend: copper curls.

Leaving behind her rich chocolate ends – a signature for the raven haired beauty – a video has just been released in which Collins is sporting a fresh, new 'do. Making her debut in the West End, and starring alongside Álvaro Morte in a Bess Wohl play titled Barcelona, the play will run from October to January at the Duke of York’s Theatre and captures Collins eschewing her chocolate-toned bob for bright copper curls and a nostalgic side parting.

The copper hair trend has been picking up momentum this season. According to L'Oréal, the hashtag ‘copper hair’ has blown up on social media by 80% in the last month, while hairdressers are noticing an uptick in demand for the auburn hue.

Hairstylist Neil Moodie also notes that romantic reds – think coppers, auburns and all things cinnamon – are unsurprisingly big news for the autumn months. 'Fiery reds were big in the 80s and at the Neil Moodie Studio we’ve brought it back for this season to create a bold and captivating statement of modern glamour, with a touch of the Renaissance,' he tells ELLE UK.

Hair forecaster Tom Smith agrees. 'We expect warmer and richer tones to trend around autumn time each year as the weather changes and people crave a glow to brighten up the greyer days,' he shares. 'In recent years, shades of copper have been growing more in popularity and this season the leading shade I predicted was Terracopper. This is a slightly punchier shade of copper but still retains the earthy ‘terracotta’ undertones, giving an elegant depth to the shade which prevents it looking too luminous or artificial.'

Collins also made a case for another hair trend that's exploded onto the scene of late, the nostalgic side parting. Unlike others who are making a statement with a side-parted bob (Saoirse Ronan at the Emmy Awards is our style inspiration here), Collins' side-part fringe and copper curls make for the perfect autumnal switch-up.

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Amelia Bell
Multiplatform Beauty Director
Amelia Bell is the Multiplatform Beauty Director for ELLE UK and Harper’s Bazaar, developing beauty strategy, writing, editing, and commissioning, and leading beauty content across both sites. Amelia has a particular interest in wellness and longevity, exploring the skin-mind connection, and decoding the latest treatments, tweakments and runway trends. She also has bylines for Women's Health, Refinery29, British Vogue, Harrods Magazine, and more.