It’s not every day that the words “mullet” and “black tie” end up in the same sentence—or the same room, for that matter, unless the black tie you’re talking about is the kind that’s printed on a trompe l’oeil tuxedo tee. But it’s also not every day that someone like Teyana Taylor walks the red carpet, and the triple threat just proved that the “party in the back” part of a mullet can refer to an elegant gala if you do it right. (And she did.)
Taylor attended the 2026 American Music Awards as both a nominee and a performer. But before she hit the stage, she hit the red carpet in a jaw-dropping Balenciaga gown. As she posed in the flowy, purple, strapless dress, onlookers couldn’t help but notice how perfectly her dramatic, matte-meets-shimmer eye makeup complemented her frock.
Photo: Getty Images
But while Taylor opted to wear her signature short hair over one of the long, curly wigs she’s been seen in over the last month, ever the innovator, she put a new spin on her go-to pixie for the AMAs. Up top, her hair was given pompadour-esque oomph with a hint of waviness and swoopy, soft baby hairs. The swooping continued in back, where the longest, lowest layer of her hair was straightened into a mullet and fancily flipped up.
Photo: Getty Images


