We're obsessed with Helen Mirren's mermaid-inspired ocean ombre blue hair

On Tuesday, May 16, 2023, Dame Helen Mirren showed off a brand-new colorful look on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival.

Celebrities poured onto the red carpet to attend the Jeanne du Barry Screening and opening ceremony at the 76th annual Cannes film festival at Palais des Festivals. Among the celebrities was Dame Helen Mirren who rocked one of the best hair trends 2023 as she showed off her new blue gray hair color.

The star is known for her platinum blonde long locks but decided to switch up her look entirely to match her blue gown and her pale ice blue nails. Helen's hair was dyed in an ocean ombre style with sections of turquoise, violet, pale blue, and ocean blue all clashing together.

 Her hair was piled upon her head in a perfectly teased pile as the Dame perfected a messy yet structured mermaid style up-do which was the crown on top of her perfect ensemble.

Completing her chic look, Helen also wore a pair of sunglasses to protect her eyes, and a sparkly silver bag to enhance this look. The actress carried the Aspinal of London Luna Bag in Reversible Glitter which is gold on one side and silver on the other.

The bag features a short pearl strap and a longer golden chain that can be worn over the shoulder. Helen opted to use the chic triple pearl strap, which only further added to the mermaid influence of her ocean-styled look. 

$1,715 at Aspinal of London US

Luna Clutch in Champagne & Silver Glitter $1,715 | Aspinal of London

The Luna Clutch embodies charm and allure; a half-moon clutch bag evoking a sense of majestic glamour. Finished with sparkling champagne glitter on one side, and dazzling silver glitter on the other, this handcrafted stunning piece is offset by decorative pearls to drape around the wrist and bring a timeless feel to this truly unique design.

View Deal

Helen Mirren's blue hair was a beautiful hue on the actress and proved that colorful hair is a great look on anyone - regardless of their age. The actress has previously spoken about not being restricted by societal expectations that women of a certain age shouldn't wear their hair in a certain way.

Only last year Helen Mirren hit back at claims older women shouldn't have long hair as she revealed that she loves her long locks. "Yes...You’re not supposed to have longer hair after a certain age," the Calender Girls star said. "But during Covid, I started growing my hair and I hadn’t actually had long hair since I was in my 20s. And it sort of grew and grew and grew, and I couldn’t be bothered to cut it, basically," she said. "And then I thought, you know what it's pretty cool, I think I'll stick with it for a while."

This new shade has continued to prove that Helen will continue to subvert expectations that are placed on her at the age of 77, as she is much happier dressing for herself and not for her critics. 

Colorful hair and particularly shades of pink are expected to be one of the summer 2023 hair color trends. If you want to emulate Helen's look but you aren't sure about taking the plunge, there are a number of non-permanent solutions that will allow you to try out a colorful without committing to it. 

There are also a number of other hair trends that are popular right now if you want to update your look - but aren't quite ready for the full mermaid look! Anne Hathaway's 'waterfall bangs' hairstyle is about to be the most requested haircut of 2023 and can easily be grown out by the fall if you want to switch up your look. Similarly, the clavicut might be the most universally flattering hair trend of 2023 and can already be seen on a number of celebs!