Stylist Alex Foden Reveals The Cult 1960s Look Behind Amy Winehouse’s Legendary Beehive
Amy Winehouse’s towering beehive became one of the most recognizable looks in modern music, but according to stylist Alex Foden, it began almost as an outrageous experiment.
In 2006, while preparing Amy for the “Back to Black” music video, Foden was under pressure to help create a visual identity as unforgettable as the song itself. Winehouse already had the voice, the eyeliner, and the attitude, but her image needed one final dramatic element. That element became a massive, 6-inch beehive inspired by the rebellious glamour of 1960s icons such as Brigitte Bardot and Ronnie Spector of The Ronettes.
The style was not meant to look polished or delicate. It was deliberately exaggerated, almost cartoonishly bold. Foden backcombed Winehouse’s dark hair upward, building volume until it looked both vintage and dangerous. What could have been dismissed as a joke instead became a defining part of her persona.
“We used two full hairspray cans as a massive, rebellious joke,” the story goes, but Winehouse reportedly loved the result. Rather than seeing the beehive as costume-like, she treated it as armor. It gave her height, attitude, and a sense of control at a time when her fame was becoming overwhelming.
The look fit perfectly with the emotional world of “Back to Black.” The song was raw, wounded, and defiant, and the beehive gave Amy a visual language to match. It nodded to the girl-group elegance of the 1960s, but Amy twisted that influence into something sharper and more personal. She was not simply copying Ronnie Spector or Brigitte Bardot; she was transforming their old-school glamour into a modern symbol of heartbreak and resistance.
Maintaining the hairstyle was no small task. The massive structure reportedly required heavy backcombing and large amounts of Elnett hairspray to keep it in place. Over time, the beehive became inseparable from Winehouse’s public image. It was there on red carpets, in paparazzi photos, and on stage, becoming as iconic as her winged eyeliner and soulful voice.
For Amy, the hair was more than fashion. It helped create a barrier between her private vulnerability and the world’s aggressive attention. As cameras flashed and tabloids followed her every move, the beehive became a kind of shield: dramatic, stylish, and impossible to ignore.
What started as a playful 1960s-inspired experiment became one of the most famous hairstyles in pop history. Alex Foden’s creation did not just complete Amy Winehouse’s look for one music video. It helped define an era, turning a towering beehive into a symbol of rebellion, pain, glamour, and unforgettable individuality.