Andie MacDowell brought a very different kind of beauty look to Paris Fashion Week on Monday, 28 September: her hair still in curlers. The 68-year-old Groundhog Day and Four Weddings and a Funeral star was filmed during rehearsals for the L'Oréal Paris Le Défilé show at Place Joffre, chatting with Jane Fonda and Viola Davis while sitting mid-glam comfortably.
The behind-the-scenes moment quickly drew attention online, with viewers zeroing in on how relaxed MacDowell looked as cameras rolled. Hours later, the longtime L'Oréal Paris ambassador traded the rollers for soft silver waves and a floor-length white gown before walking the brand's 'Express Your Worth' runway with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop.
Fans Cannot Get Enough of the Curlers
In one clip, MacDowell sits beside Fonda and Davis with several large rollers still pinned into her silver hair as the three actors chat ahead of the show. The footage catches MacDowell in the middle of getting ready, and the curlers soon became the detail viewers were talking about.
MacDowell 'sitting there in her curlers is the best thing I've seen in years', one Instagram commenter wrote, while another said her curlers were 'sending me to the moon'. A separate video showed MacDowell still wearing the rollers while talking with Thai actress and singer Becky Armstrong, prompting more reactions to her relaxed pre-show appearance.
I liked that interaction between Becky and Andie MacDowell pic.twitter.com/Z5xgZ6HwBz
— Araya (@riammstrongs) September 28, 2026
The reaction also comes with some history. MacDowell, who stopped colouring her hair during the pandemic and has since regularly appeared with her natural grey, has worn her silver curls on red carpets and previous L'Oréal Paris runways. This time, viewers simply got to see what happened before the finished hairstyle.
Andie MacDowell Takes the Curlers Out for the Runway
andie macdowell walks at loreal paris show pic.twitter.com/Zb2CjkbnFY
— ˖᯽ ݁˖ pop backup ˖᯽ ݁˖ (@popbackupp) September 28, 2026
By showtime, the rollers were gone, and MacDowell's hair had been styled into smooth, loose silver waves. She walked Le Défilé in a sleeveless white gown with a high neckline and draped skirt, smiling, blowing kisses and gesturing to the crowd as she made her way along the open-air runway. She joined a multigenerational lineup that included Fonda, Davis, Kendall Jenner, Eva Longoria, Cara Delevingne, Kristen Bell and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
The ninth edition of Le Défilé was staged under the theme 'Express Your Worth', with L'Oréal Paris framing the event around women's empowerment, individuality, diversity and sisterhood. In a pre-show interview, MacDowell described this year's theme as being about 'sisterhood and embracing your own authentic self', connecting confidence with individuality. Her appearance also continued a familiar beauty story for the actress, who previously brought her natural grey curls to the L'Oréal Paris runway in 2022.
MacDowell Has Long Embraced Her Natural Grey Hair
Andie MacDowell en Cannes. 67 años tiene esta señora. Espectacular.
— Roberto Deglané (@RobertDeglane) May 17, 2025
Buenos días, Tuiter ☕️ pic.twitter.com/mJTBEuyNfi
MacDowell has spoken openly in recent years about ageing, going grey and letting her appearance change rather than covering those changes. She has also described her naturally curly hair as dry and said conditioning is a major part of her routine. At Paris Fashion Week, the rollers offered viewers a glimpse of the preparation behind her eventual runway look and drew attention of their own online.
She has also said her backstage routine is mostly about taking in the atmosphere rather than following an elaborate ritual. 'I don't want to miss anything,' MacDowell said in a pre-show interview about the experience of dressing, waiting and watching the other women take their turns onstage. For fans watching online, the curlers offered a glimpse of exactly that: a Fashion Week veteran getting ready in public without hiding the work that comes before the glamour.
