Cardi B Took the Mob Wife Aesthetic to New Heights With Her Updo — See Photos

Oh, you thought the mob wife aesthetic’s moment had come and gone? Perhaps it took a summer vacation, but as we approach 2025, it looks like it’s already very much back. Just a couple of days after Sabrina Carpenter put her super-cute spin on the style, Cardi B has brought her boldness, and she definitely didn’t disappoint—especially with her lofty and fantastically flirty hairdo.

Cardi attended the grand opening party for the Skims New York flagship store—perhaps you saw the announcement on Kim Kardashian’s own nails—looking appropriately snatched (Skims is shapewear, after all), and wearing the brand’s leopard-print bodysuit from the recent Dolce & Gabbana collaboration. Under it were fishnet stockings; over it was more leopard print in the form of a fabulously unorthodox trench coat. She completely the sartorial portion of her mob wife look with a huge cross necklace and pointy heels in—guess what—more leopard print.

But the mob wife aesthetic isn’t complete without the beauty factor, and Cardi B seriously served with her voluminous updo. What looks like pounds of hair is piled in a fountain-like silhouette atop her head. A huge swath of hair—call it side bangs, call it a super-tendril—hangs in front, perfectly blown out to a shiny finish with a glamorous hint of curl, and fully obstructing Cardi’s right eye. She was seen occasionally moving it out of the way (an understandable, natural instinct) with her French manicure, but the peek-a-boo look really added to the drama of the overall ensemble.