Corset Braids! Brontë Bangs! Gothic Waves! 2026’s Most Romantic Hair Trend Is a Thought Daughter’s Dream

Cascading waves grazing the small of one’s back; delicate braids tucked into softly spilling updos. While these descriptors might sound like something from an Austen novel, they’re actually observations from recent red carpets and runways—a medley of styles torn straight from the pages of our favorite Gothic romances and set in modern day.

Though space-age Y2K hairstyles made their Saturn return over the last few years, the looks dominating the 2026 trend cycle resemble illustrations from our high school history textbooks more than anything from this century. Between Margot Robbie’s dazzling press run for her Valentine’s Day-slated film, Wuthering Heights, and the rolling release of Bridgerton season four, it’s no stretch to confirm that romantic hairstyles from varying periods of Western history are writing new chapters.

“I think style moves like a pendulum,” celebrity hairstylist Xavier Velasquez tells Who What Wear. “We’ve had a few trend cycles dominated by that snatched, ‘clean girl’ aesthetic—super sleek, super polished—and now it feels like we’re swinging back toward softness and femininity. There’s more texture, more movement, more romance,” he muses.