How To DIY 6 New Year's Eve Hairstyles Inspired By Fictional Characters

June 17, 2024

When I put together outfits, I like to think about what literary character I want to channel, and that’s where I draw my inspiration. Is it an Anne of Green Gables day, and I should go for fancy sleeves? Is it a Little Women day, warranting some Jo March-style boots? Or maybe it’s a Harry Potter day, and I need to break out my Gryffindor scarf and knee socks.

Naturally, these outfits require literary-inspired hairstyles as well. So many great book characters give us amazing quotes, but they also give us great fashion and hair inspiration. Plenty of iconic scenes in literature center around what characters are wearing and how they arrange their hair, because how we dress often reveals our inner thoughts and expressions.

If my hair is going to reveal my inner thoughts, then it definitely needs to be book-related. I’m usually thinking about books, so I may as well let my hair reflect that. Sadly, most great works of literature don’t include step-by-step instructions of how to achieve great literary hairstyles, but luckily beauty and fashion vloggers on YouTube have taken it upon themselves to give us these instructions. Here are a few of my favorite looks straight from the pages of some great books.

1. Katniss-Style Dutch Braid

Katniss always had the best braids, and these Dutch-style braids are particularly in style at the moment. Try out this tutorial to become the Girl on Fire.

2. Hermione's Yule Ball Updo

You can achieve Hermione's Yule Ball up-do — but you'll have to master it without the help of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion, because for some reason, you can't order that on Amazon. Turn some heads just like Hermione did with this Harry Potter-inspired hairdo.

3. Daisy Buchanan Finger Waves

If you can't get enough of The Great Gatsby, here's a finger wave hair tutorial for you. Whether you're headed to a 1920s-themed party or just off for a night on the town, this hairstyle has all the glamour of Fitzgerald's glittering character Daisy — without the tragedy, of course.

4. Jane Austen Updo

Regency era fashions were sometimes dangerous (women would put drops of belladonna in their eyes to make their pupils appear larger, but belladonna is actually poisonous). Luckily, the hairstyles aren't. Channel your inner Elizabeth Bennet with a Regency-inspired up-do, and you'll be ready for any ball or banter that a situation may require.

5. Mare Braids

Mare, the protagonist in Red Queen, often wears her hair in a braid. Here are three great options for styling your hair like this YA heroine, while you reread the sequel Glass Sword, and anxiously await for the third in the series (King's Cage doesn't come out until February 2017, so you have plenty of time to master these hairstyles).

6. Jane Eyre-Inspired Hair

Jane Eyre dresses in plain fashions, and her hair would no doubt match. In the nineteenth century, the style was to part hair down the middle and pin it back. This updo isn't difficult to achieve, and will inspire you to channel Jane's spirited and independent personality.

Image: Warner Bros (1)

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