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Celebrity hair colorist Rita Hazan reflected on bringing Beyoncé back to the 1990s with the return of her warm blonde locks for the 2026 Met Gala May 4 in an interview with E! By Design.
By Brahmjot Kaur May 05, 2026 12:43 AM | Updated 13 minutes ago
Hailey Bieber Is a Golden Goddess in Plated Armor at Met Gala 2026
Beyoncé is bringing pure/honey to the Met steps.
After all, the 2026 Met Gala co-chair swapped out her icy blonde locks for a cozier hue to complement her evening's sparkling look. And her hair colorist shared exactly how she brought Beyoncé back to her blonde roots.
"The initial vision for Beyoncé's hair was to take it back to the early '90s, where it's more honey, chocolatey with some sunny highlights," Rita Hazan exclusively told E! By Design as part of Live From E!: Met Gala ahead of the biggest night in fashion. "I refer to it more like a Manhattan blonde."
It was truly a real-life boogie and a real-life hoedown for the celebrity colorist, since it was the Grammy winner's first Met Gala appearance at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in a decade.
"I loved her ideas, which were keeping it warmer, 'cause she's been very light for the past couple of years," Rita explained. "We took it back a little bit to more of a warmer brown, with warmer highlights."
Pointing to some of Beyoncé's platinum blonde tresses during her Cowboy Carter era, the stylist emphasized that the darker hair was "a different look than we've done in the past few years."
Although the Destiny's Child alum—who is co-chairing this year's Met Gala with Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour—hasn't leaned into her honey-chocolate locks in a while, the throwback was definitely a sweet dream.
As Rita recalled, "It was fun to see her face go, 'Oh my God. I love this. I remember I love this.'"
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
With Beyoncé taking on such a prestigious role for the gala—for which the dress code is "Fashion Is Art"—the hairstylist wanted her tresses to showcase a message to spectators.
"I wanted this look to say," Rita added, "as a co-chair, that she is actually all about art and fashion and she's not afraid to change her look ever."
The 44-year-old's hair was the pièce de résistance of her already jaw-dropping Met Gala ensemble. Indeed, she arrived in a sparkling Olivier Rousteing gown adorned with a diamond-encrusted skeleton along the front. She completed her look with a dazzling headpiece and a lush, feathered boa.
Beyoncé isn't the only celeb to prove she's that girl. Keep reading for all the stars who left everyone speechless at the 2026 Met Gala.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Teyana Taylor
in Tom Ford.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Kris Jenner
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Beyoncé
in custom Olivier Rousteing.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Blake Lively
in Atelier Versace.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Madonna
in Saint Laurent.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Kim Kardashian
in custom Allen Jones and Whitaker Malem.
Photo by Kevin Mazur/MG26/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Babyface
in Laquan Smith.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Misty Copeland
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Lily-Rose Depp
in Chanel.
David Fisher/Shutterstock
Karlie Kloss
David Fisher/Shutterstock
Gracie Abrams
in Chanel.
David Fisher/Shutterstock
Suki Waterhouse
in Michael Kors.
John Salangsang/Shutterstock
Dwyane Wade & Gabrielle Union
Photo by Theo Wargo/FilmMagic
Doechii
in custom Marc Jacobs.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Keke Palmer
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Hudson Williams
in Balenciaga.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Cher
in custom Chrome Hearts and Swarovski jewelry.
Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Grace Gummer
in custom Gabriela Hearst.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Joe Alwyn
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Kendall Jenner
in Gap Studio by Zac Posen.
Photo by Julian Hamilton/Getty Images
SZA
in Bode.
David Fisher/Shutterstock
Eileen Gu
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Sombr
in custom Valentino.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Hunter Schafer
in Prada.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Audrey Nuna
in Robert Wun and Messika jewelry.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Anne Hathaway
in Michael Kors.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Margot Robbie
in Chanel.
Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Naomi Watts
in Dior.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Sabrina Carpenter
in Dior.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Serena Williams
in custom Marc Jacobs.
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