Fashion

Unexpected Hair Crush, Halloween Edition

by Tori Telfer

They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky, and some of them — Morticia, cara mia, we're looking at you — had really great style. Perhaps you're planning on flying through the streets as Wednesday Addams this Halloween? Or maybe you just love their particular brand of well-cultivated creepiness? The three Addams ladies had memorable hair that walked the line between horror movie kitsch and relatively glamorous, and their go-to looks are delightfully easy to replicate. (Not that we didn't love the Addams men, too — but they all have crew cuts.)

Grandma Addams: This well-meaning lady would never think of herself as a witch, though she does love to dabble in spells and hexes. Her look is, shall we say, casual? If you're not the type to condition, blow-dry, or get regular trims, Grandma Addams is for you.

Get her look: Dry your hair big and frizzy with a blow drier, being generous with the volumizing mousse, and fluffing it up with your hand as you dry. A little back-combing may help you get her dried-hay texture. Douse your hair with dry shampoo or cornstarch until the whole mane is gray, and pair with some sort of hilarious old-fashioned weapon, like a slingshot or a battle-ax.

Wednesday Addams: She's probably the coolest member of the Addams family, and you cannot beat that name. At a mere six years old, she's creepier than the rest of her relations with that severe center part and her tendency to behead dolls.

Get her look: You'll need a sharp comb and some shine serum to look as good as little Miss Wednesday. Start with damp hair and run a few drops of shine serum through it, from roots to ends. Part your hair down the middle, all the way to the nape of your neck, and divide into two sections. Braid the first section as neatly and as tightly as you can, starting at the ears. Bind with an elastic, then repeat on the other side. Pair with a black dress, crisp white collar, and a china doll sans cranium.

Morticia Addams: Let's not beat around the bush — Morticia was sexy. Her husband could barely deal with her charms, she had the perfect seductive eyebrows, and that dress! (Note: Angelica Huston did an amazing turn as Morticia in the 1991 movie, but I'm going with the beautiful Carolyn Jones of the original 1960s show. The two Morticia's looks were surprisingly similar.)

Get her look: Like mother, like daughter, like Grandma -- just like any other respectable Addams lady, Morticia loved the center part. She had extremely shiny black locks with a sort of relaxed '40s wave going on. Obviously, this is replicable with a wig, but if you've already got long, dark hair, or are willing to DIY a little black Manic Panic up in those locks, her look is fairly simple to recreate. Basically, you'll just curl the hair around your face and brush it out into subtle waves — the rest of the hair can be left natural and shiny.

Heat up your curling iron. Starting with dry hair, give yourself that severe center part. Now, separate out about 2-3 inches of hair on the left side of your part, right around your face. You're going to curl this section with the curling iron held horizontal to your head (so you're curling it up, if you will, toward your roots). Once the hair is curled and cooled, brush it out smooth to get those waves. Do the same to the section of hair on the right side of your part. If you want the rest of your hair to have texture, give it a few loose vertical curls with the curling iron. Finish everything off with shine serum and hairspray. (Here are some helpful visuals.)

If you're going as Morticia this Halloween, you'll want a slinky black dress, a doting husband, and a great makeup tutorial:

And don't forget to carry around a bouquet of roses, snipping off their blooms with a pair of shears at key moments during the night.