Monica’s latest platinum hit? Her blonde bob that she debuted last night on the front row of Public School’s Fall/Winter 2026 show in New York. The singer attended the show alongside her first born son, Rodney Ramone Hill III, with a hairstyle just as fashionable as her head-to-toe anOnlyChild coat.
“Public School is very urban chic,” she tells ESSENCE exclusively before the show. “There’s so many great textures and shapes that he’ll get to see tonight.” One of which, to our surprise, was The Boy Is Mine singer’s new blonde bob.
In a detour from her usual jet black tone, Monica’s platinum cut was equal parts effortless and chic. It’s a look her hairstylist Ricky Wing described as a “vintage chic bob”. “I referenced a lot of late ’90s looks,” he tells ESSENCE, using a Bio Ionic Curling Iron with a 1.5 inch barrel for volume. Her feathered new style—which he used a razor comb to achieve—bended at her square shoulders structured by a floor-draping olive coat, while her deep side part was casually flipped over into a draping bang.
According to the show’s hairstylist Lacy Redway, “bobs are taking over everywhere right now,” as she told ESSENCE last week. “What better place to launch the newest iteration of the cut than on the runway, a place that trends tend to start first,” she added. For Monica, her fresh hairdo looked best paired with a rose gold lip, accentuated eye, bronze blush, and of course, white nails.
Seated next to artist Destin Conrad, who clearly shares her same sentiment for blonde and crowd-pleasing hits, showed just how the hair color could translate for men—especially on the front row of a men’s show. They prove how good blonde looks when done right: effortless, chic, and adding a fun pop to any look.
