‘Lioness’ Star Nicole Kidman (59) Ditched the Red Carpet Glam in Italy, and Her Effortless Natural Hair Is Stealing the Show
After a whirlwind season of premieres, gowns and polished blowouts, Nicole Kidman’s natural hair is having a moment again. The Oscar winner spent the summer promoting the long-awaited sequel ‘Practical Magic 2’, delivering a string of witchy boho red carpet looks. Those included an icy blue gown dripping in pearls in London, a see-through black lace ruffled gown in Los Angeles, and a white satin floral cut-out gown in Sydney.
She barely slowed down after the press tour, either. Earlier this month, Kidman hit the Emmys in a glamorous white strapless corset gown with floral appliqué details. It’s the kind of meticulously styled image fans have come to expect, which is exactly why her latest photos feel like such a breath of fresh air.
On September 24, Kidman shared a carousel of photos on Instagram from a sunny getaway in Portofino, Italy, where she appeared to be sporting shorter hair with relaxed, beachy waves. The images, which quickly circulated across entertainment outlets, showed the actress soaking up the sun at the Belmond Hotel on the Italian Riviera.
In one standout shot, she leans on a table outside the hotel in a white strappy shift dress, her blonde waves tied into a low ponytail with a few tousled strands framing her face. Oval, silver-rimmed, pink-tinted sunglasses completed the breezy vacation look.
Another photo shows her lounging on an outdoor sofa in a burnt orange silk slip dress with white lace trim, her waves falling loose around her shoulders and looking noticeably shorter than in recent appearances. She also posed on a balcony with her sister Antonia Kidman, wearing a fluttery white sundress with her hair pulled into a messy high ponytail.
While most people picture Kidman with sleek, honey-blonde hair, her natural hair is actually curly and a warm ginger shade. Over the past year, she has been embracing that texture far more often than fans are used to.
The shift started around the holidays. She wore her natural curls to a Christmas Eve party in Sydney with her daughters, shared a curly-haired photo while celebrating daughter Faith’s 15th birthday, and rang in the new year with an Instagram post captioned “looking forward into 2026.” Days later, she was photographed at Sydney Airport with her curls and bangs fully on display.
The trend continued into the summer. In June, she posted a photo of herself leaning on a wooden fence on what appeared to be a farm, dressed casually in a baby blue button-down, jeans, and white sneakers, with her curls out in full force.
Every time Kidman lets her hair go natural, her followers respond with overwhelming enthusiasm. After the farm photo, commenters told her they loved her natural hair, with one calling her a natural beauty and another adding that they couldn’t wait for the next season of ‘Scarpetta’.
That warm reception seems to be encouraging the actress to keep things low-key more often. The Portofino snaps fit perfectly into that pattern, offering a relaxed contrast to her carefully styled public appearances.
Kidman’s hair evolution has coincided with major personal changes. After 19 years of marriage, she filed for divorce from Keith Urban, with whom she shares daughters Faith and Sunday Rose. Since then, she has debuted “break-up bangs” at Chanel’s Paris Fashion Week show, walked the Vogue World catwalk in voluminous Old Hollywood waves, and served as a chair for the Met Gala.
Through it all, her willingness to switch between polished glamour and effortless texture has become part of her appeal. The Italian getaway simply proves that the ‘Big Little Lies’ star looks just as striking without a styling team in sight. As fall arrives, it remains to be seen whether this shorter, wavier cut will make its way onto future red carpets. Either way, fans clearly hope these natural hair moments keep coming.
What do you think of Nicole Kidman’s natural waves in Portofino?
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