Depending on how far back your personal recollection of Nicole Kidman goes, you probably default to thinking of her as either a redhead or a strawberry blonde. I’d argue elder millennials and older picture her as fiery ginger, and the youngsters among us are more likely to imagine her with a light, peachy flaxen hue. Both look stunning on the Oscar winner—but neither could ever possibly prepare you for how incredible she now looks without any hint of red in her.
On Monday, March 25, Kidman posted what appears to be a behind-the-scene look at a Balenciaga photo shoot. If you happened to see her Instagram Stories before her grid post, you could definitely tell that a major change had been made. She’s pictured sitting in between two of her iconic beauty-pro go-tos, hairstylist Adir Abergel and makeup artist Gucci Westman. It’s apparent that Kidman’s hair is much shorter than she usually wears it, just barely passing her shoulders. But because the photo is black-and-white, it’s not clear how much her hair color has changed.
For that, you need to check out the photos she posted to her grid. In a truly stunning photo, Kidman is seen wearing an oversized black leather jacket, which I want almost as much as her new hair color: a superlight, bright blonde that’s devoid of the ginger tones she never seems to be without. The towheaded tone looks especially gorgeous with the lightly layered, ever so slightly messy new cut.
It’s been years since we’ve seen Nicole Kidman with hair this blonde, and understandably so. Having at least a hint of red is her signature. But this new look is just too good to wear for only a little while, so I’m hoping we get a few more looks at it soon—and for months to come.
This post was originally published in Allure.