It doesn’t matter if you’re blonde, brunette, or a redhead: Fall 2026 hair trends embrace a low-key, lived-in elegance—and Madelyn Cline hit the nail right on the head with her “vanilla taupe blonde” hair transformation.
After rocking a mid-length style throughout the summer, the Outer Banks star arrived at New York Fashion Week with a brand new “baddie bob,” courtesy of longtime hairstylist Marc Mena. But that wasn’t her only dramatic switch-up. Celebrity stylist Tracey Cunningham also took the actor from ombré bronde to a dimensional “creamy vanilla” blonde without a brassy strand in sight.
“For Madelyn, I wanted to take her lighter and brighter while still keeping the color soft and natural-looking,” Schwarzkopf Professional’s U.S. creative director of color & technique tells Glamour. “The goal was a fresh, polished blonde for fall that still has that effortless, sun-kissed quality that looks so beautiful on her.”
As for the chop, Mena says Madelyn Cline was looking for a change that felt “fresh, modern, and a little dangerous.” To achieve that vibe, he opted for a “shoulder-skimming bob with a clean, slightly blunt perimeter” for a look that’s “short enough to make a statement, but long enough that we could still play with texture and switch up the styling.”
With their powers combined, Mena and Cunningham found a way to make a blonde bob feel so right for fall. Here’s everything you need to know about the color and cut, straight from the pros.
What is vanilla taupe blonde?
Cunningham describes vanilla taupe blonde as a “bright, sun-washed blonde with soft beige and taupe tones woven throughout.”
To achieve the look, she used used Blondeme Clay Lightener to create the highlights in and then customized her tone with Igora Vibrance demi-permanent hair color. Cunningham says the goal should not be to copy Cline’s exact formula, but to find a “soft vanilla-taupe effect” that’s right for your base color and natural undertones.
“The key is finding that balance where the blonde doesn’t read too yellow or too ashy,” she says.
How to get vanilla taupe blonde at the salon
To get the look for yourself at a salon, Cunningham recommends asking for “a soft, dimensional blonde with creamy vanilla and subtle taupe-beige tones,” but stresses that placement of the highlights are just as important as the color.
