Zara Larsson has swapped her familiar colourful pop star image for a striking retro-inspired makeover, with the Swedish singer appearing almost unrecognisable from some of her recent looks in her latest Allure shoot.
The 28-year-old star has traded the bright, golden-blonde styling associated with her current era for platinum and dusty-pink hair, bleached brows, metallic silver and pared-back black-and-white looks in photographs by Hugo Comte.
The transformation marks a noticeable departure from the colourful, glitter-heavy aesthetic closely associated with Larsson, particularly during her Midnight Sun era.
Rather than simply adding another colourful look to her repertoire, the Allure shoot strips back some of the neon and sparkle and replaces them with sharper silhouettes, cooler tones and a distinctly retro-futuristic mood.
The result offers a glimpse into a different side of the singer's established visual identity, combining a modern pin-up influence with references to the early 2000s.
From Colourful Pop Star to Pink-Haired Vision
Larsson's visual identity has become closely linked with vivid colour, glitter and playful pop styling.
Allure described her usual aesthetic as featuring aqua blues, purples and bright Barbie pink, but for the cover shoot she swapped the pink make-up and neon wardrobe for metallic silver and minimalist black and white, putting the pink into her hair instead.
Hairstylist Iggy Rosales brought more than 10 wigs to the shoot as the team experimented with different colours and shapes before settling on platinum and muted pink tones.
The final styles were sleeker and more graphic, giving Larsson a noticeably different appearance from her bright, summery looks.
Rosales said the moodboard was based on 'a modern '50s pinup with a bit of a 2000s influence: sexy, playful and a little fantasy.'
That combination helped steer the shoot away from the overtly colourful aesthetic Larsson has embraced in recent years, while still allowing elements of her playful personality to remain.
The beauty look was also pushed in a darker direction.
In Allure's behind-the-scenes make-up video, Larsson appears with bleached brows, while she and make-up artist Sophia Sinot discuss creating a mood that was darker and 'a bit grungier' compared with some of the colourful looks they have developed together during the Midnight Sun era.
The contrast is particularly striking because the singer's recent visual identity has leaned heavily into saturated colour, shimmer and an unmistakably summery mood.
Here, however, the metallic finishes, black-and-white clothing and pale pink hair create a cooler and more futuristic effect.
The styling also draws on early-2000s references without completely abandoning the playful sensibility that has become part of Larsson's wider image.
A Different Side of Larsson's Established Style
The makeover represents a visual change, but there is little to suggest that Larsson has completely abandoned the colourful identity associated with Midnight Sun.
Instead, the Allure shoot demonstrates how the singer can explore a different fashion and beauty direction while retaining recognisable elements of her personality.
The choice of pink hair is perhaps the clearest link between the two aesthetics.
While the neon pink associated with some of her previous looks has been replaced by a softer, muted shade, the colour still provides a playful element against the otherwise restrained palette.
Rosales summed up the choice by saying: 'Zara just makes sense as a pink-haired girl.'
The pink therefore provides a visual link between the new shoot and Larsson's established aesthetic.
Her Allure cover arrives as another example of the singer using fashion and beauty to explore the visual world of her music.
The shoot's combination of platinum hair, dusty-pink tones, bleached brows, metallic finishes and minimalist clothing creates a noticeably different mood from the bright, colourful styling that has accompanied much of her recent public image.
Yet the transformation does not necessarily signal a permanent reinvention.
