Alysa Liu x ESPY Awards: Behind the Look

Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu took home the Best Breakthrough Athlete award at this year’s ESPY Awards, with Anh Co Tran styling her hair for the occasion. Following the event, Anh spoke with Allure about the inspiration behind her effortless French knot and the creative process that brought the look together.

Read the full article here: Alysa Liu’s ESPY Hair Is the Ultimate Cool Girl Updo

Below are a few highlights from the conversation.

What was the inspiration behind Alysa’s look?

Inspired by a soft, undone French knot, Anh wanted the hairstyle to echo the effortless sophistication of Alysa’s Louis Vuitton dress while complementing its sculptural draping.

Instead of creating a perfectly polished updo, he embraced natural movement and texture to create a finish that felt modern, wearable, and true to Alysa’s personality. He told Allure, “Adding natural texture and movement gave it a subtle edge while still feeling effortlessly refined and reflective of Alysa’s free spirit.”

How did Alysa’s signature hair color influence the style?

Alysa’s distinctive blonde and brunette color blocking has become one of her signature features, and for Anh, it played an important role in shaping the hairstyle.

“We certainly factored Alysa’s signature stripes into this look to make sure the patterns of her hair were brought out when it was put up,” Anh shared with Allure. For this look, “I wanted the blonde sections to accentuate the silhouette of the style.”

Other times, when Anh styles her hair down, such as for her Met Gala hairstyle, he shared that “I want to make sure the waves are bending in the same direction or in different directions as the stripes.”

How did the final look represent Alysa?

For Anh, every hairstyle begins with the person wearing it. As a final thought, he shared that, “Alysa has such a free-spirited and joyful energy. That naturally shaped the overall direction of the look.”

Rather than creating a style that simply complemented the dress, Anh’s goal was to create a hairstyle that felt authentic to Alysa herself.

To see the complete styling process, including the products, tools, and step-by-step technique Anh used to create Alysa’s ESPY Awards hairstyle, read Alysa Liu x ESPY Awards: Look Breakdown.

BTS Photos: @offthecheng
Red Carpet Photo: Getty Images