Bombshell blowouts returned to the Victoria’s Secret runway this year, thanks to legendary hairdresser Guido Palau and his team. Models like Barbara Palvin and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley were spotted backstage wearing rollers for hours before the show, a tried-and-true technique for creating bouncy, voluminous waves. But amid the excitement of the show's return with OG Angels like Adriana Lima and Alessandra Ambrosio, we also noticed a nostalgic beauty trend taking hold: more than a dozen models wore deep side parts, the kind synonymous with millennials, the early aughts, and VS runways of years past.
It wasn’t just the models wearing deep side parts or bangs at this year’s live Los Angeles show. Megan Thee Stallion’s showstopping performance was elevated by her Bombshell blowout, complete with a bang styled over one eye—a classic, sultry look perfect for an artist making hot-girl history on the runway. Tate McRae also wore her golden waves flipped over to one side, which lent incredible movement as she performed her new single “Housewife.”
A debate has raged for years between side parts and center parts, with Gen Z favoring the latter. They claim it makes you look more youthful—but the Angels prove this theory wrong. Ultimately, a side-parted blowout is meant to be touched, tousled, and tossed. You should be able to throw it to one side, then the other, without your hair looking out of place. That’s what makes a Bombshell blowout so signature to the Victoria’s Secret runway. A center-parted blowout tends to be more rigid and structured—with such a meticulous part, you can’t fluff it, zhuzh it, or mess it up.
There’s no wrong or right way to part your hair. Even supermodels like Alex Consani and Adriana Lima preferred a center part on last night’s runway. But many others, including Ashley Graham, Caroline Trentini, and Paloma Elsesser, proved that the millennial side part—much like the glitz and glam of the Victoria’s Secret show—will never go out of style.