The 'Friends' Hairstylist On Creating Phoebe's Vibe, Plus 33 Of Her Best Beauty Looks

- Friends -
The 'Friends' Hairstylist On Creating Phoebe's Vibe, Plus 33 Of Her Best Beauty Looks

You know, it's not fair that The Rachel gets all the attention when it comes to the Friendshairiverse. Phoebe Buffay's hippie hair was just as iconic, and truth be told, it kind of holds up. Hair accessories are back, for one, and for two, now that everyone's been in quarantine for months, long, unkempt hair is definitely back.

And it all started about 20 years ago with Phoebe, a.k.a. Pheebs, a.k.a. Regina Phalange, a.k.a. Princess Consuela Banana-Hammock.

Friends' lead hairstylist Richard Marin tells me that Phoebe "always had to have a hippie vibe!" and when styling the hair for the three female protagonists, he always took their characters — and the scenes they were shooting — into consideration.

"I always let the costume dictate what Phoebe's hair should be, then the story line," he tells me. (To read more from my chat with Marin and to learn about his time on the Friends set, click here.)

Over 10 seasons, Phoebe's look evolved along with her character. What began as a Smelly Cat vibe landed on something modern (for the time, anyway) and clean. "She started out long and wavy, but we ended with long, poker-straight hair, which at the time was very current hair," Marin explains.

So, if Rachel Green serves as the poster child for ‘90s-era sexy, Phoebe nails the early-aughts quirk with a real ‘70s feel. (Also pretty sure she inspired Miu Miu’s entire Resort 2017 collection, but I digress.)

The singer-turned-masseuse wasn’t just daring with her clothing choices — she (via Marin!) led the way with her accessories and beauty looks, too.

Below, revisit 33 of Phoebe's most iconic hairstyles, and try not to put some butterfly clips in your cart. (But seriously, please try not to.)

The scrunchie and bang combo is a vibe:

…as is this daisy-print cardigan that may have inspired a Marc Jacobs diffusion line:

Who would've thought an entire generation would still be dreaming of this retro checkered dress from Season 2?:

There’s a lot to unpack here, but the fringe bag is on-point:

Even when her outfits weren’t over-the-top, her hair still surprised and delighted — and likely inspired thousands of girls to attempt to quadruple-wrap their half-up pony:

The only thing better than her billowing curls is her velvet-effect vest-and-choker combo:

“A plan? I don’t even have a pla-“:

The fringe! The hair wrap! The sass!:

Nobody does monochrome quite like Phoebe. That’s to say, nobody can take a tenant of minimalism and turn it into the loudest outfit of all time:

“13 bathrooms in this place, and I threw up in the coat closet!”:

Why yes, that is a starfish hair clip:

Somehow, Phoebe even manages to turn a relatively plain yellow crepe shift dress into a moment, thanks to her daisy necklace and impeccable updo:

Is this a Cult Gaia lookbook? Maybe!!:

Have you ever seen an outfit so juvenile and perfect at the same time?:

The slick hair and black dress combo was an unexpected but stunning look for Pheebs:

The outfit’s only okaaaay until you realize that Phoebe’s wearing floral clogs and an accent braid. How very current-season Prada:

The ultimate butterfly clip inspo:

Phoebe’s beach look is very Nanushka-meets-Anne Klein-meets-‘90s-era-Spree:

Even Phoebe’s maternity style is impressively on-brand:

The dress is great and the hair is better, but my goodness, look at those shoes:

Has three babies at one time, still has lovely tendrils:

Phoebe could’ve single handedly predicted 2018’s massive slime green trend:

Barrettes are a bold choice for a five-hour plane ride:

As if you needed more proof that Phoebe was the original chunky sandal trend-setter:

Seeee??:

It’s the Kate Spade carryall for me:

How many tweens thought about this updo style for a possible prom look?:

Ah, yes, another incredibly loud, incredibly inspiring monochromatic look!:

The flowing pants; the vintage-inspired silk camp shirt; the barrette to top it all off... this outfit is quintessential late-stage Phoebe:

Are they earrings or a necklace or both?:

Nobody does a ‘70s-inspired color theme better than Phoebe Buffay:

Have you ever seen anything so wonderfully Renaissance Faire?

It’s not a competition or anything but Phoebe definitely looked the best in her bridesmaid’s dress:


Images: Screenshots, NBC

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