Priscilla Presley's iconic look is defined by her voluminous, jet-black hair, most famously styled as a beehive or bouffant, achieved with backcombing, teasing, and significant hairspray, often enhanced with hairpieces, falls, and extensions for added height and fullness during the 1960s and 70s. She later sported other styles like sleek blowouts and longer waves as her look evolved.
As it turns out, he was pretty particular when it came to the latter—and not just with his own. When Priscilla Presley first married Elvis in the '60s, she conformed her own style to match his, opting for heavy eyeliner and jet black bouffant updos.
Her jet-black locks were memorable, but the period of her life when she experimented with red hair is one of the most iconic box-dye moments in history. In the early years of her life, Priscilla Presley showed off her natural hair colour – brown.
Cliona Furey reveals five wigs were used in 30 days to capture Priscilla's essence. Every item on this page was chosen by a Town & Country editor.
The pompadour haircut is a timeless men's style featuring longer hair swept back on top with short, faded, or tapered sides. Popularized by Elvis Presley, the modern pompadour now includes undercuts and textured finishes for a cleaner, edgier look.
Modern Origins of the Pompadour Hairstyle
The first famous icon to sport this hairstyle was Elvis Presley. Then came other famous stars like Little Richard and James Dean that helped cement the pompadour as a hairstyle for men. It's believed that the style's popularity came down to its uneven shape.
To look younger, opt for styles with movement, layers, and face-framing elements like the Butterfly Cut, Modern Shag, or a Layered Lob, which add volume and soften features, while Curtain or Wispy Bangs conceal forehead lines and highlight eyes, and a well-placed Pixie Cut can lift the face for an instant refresh. The key is to avoid heavy, one-length styles and embrace texture, fullness, and strategic highlights to create a fresh, vibrant look.
As their relationship progresses, and she moves to Graceland, Elvis exerts his control over Priscilla in part by making her change her look at his request, suggesting, for example, that she dye her brown hair black.
Only about 1 to 2 percent of people on Earth are natural redheads, which makes red hair the rarest natural hair color. That works out to somewhere between 80 and 160 million people worldwide, with hotspots in places like Scotland and Ireland where up to 1 in 10 people have red hair.
He needed rest and true friends and time far away from the stage. Instead, he got more pills and another tour and another empty hotel room. What people saw as fat was really the body of a man worked to the edge, bloated by the medicine meant to keep him standing.
He told her that he liked "soft-spoken brunettes with blue eyes," and made Priscilla in his image. She came to think of herself as “Elvis's living doll, to fashion as he pleased.” Among other things, he directed her to dye her hair black to match his.
But in truth, Elvis's natural coloring was simple: light brown, even blondish hair as a boy, and fair skin that tanned easily because he loved the sun. As he grew older, he dyed his hair jet black, not to change who he was, but because he liked the dramatic look it gave him under the stage lights.
Then there was the daily routine. “I shampooed his hair regularly, usually every day. I would massage his scalp for a few minutes, then brush his hair at least 50 or 60 strokes. I was focused on long-term health of his hair, which was so important,” Geller explains.
The change was dramatic enough to spark speculation: multiple facelifts, Botox, and a nose job. Over time, the effects of overfilled cheeks and an over-reliance on injectables left her face looking swollen and unnatural.
The butterfly cut, sometimes called the octopus haircut, is a unique blend of a shag haircut and long-layered hairstyles. It's a versatile, layered style that blends elements of 70s shags and 90s layered looks, creating a modern, voluminous cut with a healthy dash of nostalgia.
A jellyfish haircut is a bold, two-tiered style with a short, blunt top (like a bowl cut or bob) that dramatically contrasts with much longer, flowing layers underneath, mimicking a jellyfish's bell and tentacles for an edgy, disconnected look inspired by Japanese fashion and hime cuts. It's essentially a modern mullet with stark separation between the short crown and the long, tentacle-like lengths, creating a futuristic, high-fashion vibe.
Less than 2% of the world's population has red hair. The highest concentration of redheads is in Scotland (13%), followed by Ireland (10%). Having red hair and blue eyes is the rarest hair/eye color combination possible. The odds of a person having both of those recessive traits is around 0.17%.
While the idea that redheads may live longer is tantalizing, the research is far from conclusive. Some studies suggest a correlation between the MC1R gene and longer life, but many scientists argue that lifestyle factors, genetics, and environmental conditions matter more than hair color.
Dolly Parton said no to Elvis Presley recording "I Will Always Love You" because his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, demanded half of the publishing rights, which Parton refused to give up, as she wanted to keep ownership and the future earnings for her family. Despite her heartbreak at the missed opportunity, she held firm to her business principle, understanding that retaining the copyright was crucial for her financial security and legacy, a decision that paid off immensely after Whitney Houston's cover became a global phenomenon.
Nature's Rarest Palette: Red Hair Standing at the apex of rarity, natural red hair occurs in just 1-2% of the global population.
He never thought he had a problem because he was taking "prescription drugs". Lab reports indicated that 14 drugs were found in Presley's blood at the time of his death, including "near toxic levels" of codeine, morphine, Placidyl and other prescription drugs.
The "7-day haircut rule" suggests that while a fresh haircut looks sharp, it often hits its peak and looks most natural, effortless, and "lived-in" around one week (7 days) after getting it, as the hair softens, settles, and blends better. It's a guideline for timing major events or understanding when your hair finds its sweet spot, allowing the initial starkness to fade into a more comfortable style, similar to breaking in new shoes.
Shoulder-length waves
This length strikes a perfect balance - it's long enough to create the illusion of more hair, but short enough to avoid looking stringy or lifeless.
According to expert stylists, shorter haircuts like bobs and pixie cuts can make women look up to 5 years younger by adding volume and lifting facial features. But that doesn't mean long hair is aging—it's all about the right layers, texture, and face-framing elements.