The Heated Rivalry star co-signed one of beauty’s most divisive styles, singlehandedly declaring the return of the side part.
If we go by her latest career moves, Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova is set to become the world’s newest style sensation. On February 13, the Heated Rivalry star made her New York Fashion Week debut, walking the Christian Cowan Fall/Winter 2026 show. For the occasion, the actor rocked what’s perhaps the most divisive hair look in recent years: the hair side part, also dubbed “The Millennial Side Part.
Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova Brings the Heat to the Runway
Iconic celebrity cameos on the runway have been the order of the day in 2026. From Heated Rivalry sensation Hudson Williams making an epic appearance at the Winter Olympics-inspired Dsquared2 catwalk—which drove 54% of the show’s Media Impact Value, per Launchmetrics—to Louis Vuitton ambassador BamBam gracing the brand’s latest collection unveiling, the first major Fashion Weeks of the year have been teeming with star power.
The latest addition to the list? Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, who you might recognize as Svetlana Vetrova from Crave’s ubiquitous queer show Heated Rivalry. Fresh off the show’s successful first season, Kharlamova is making her presence felt in style circles. Comfortably settling into the spotlight, the actor stepped into the model role for a runway appearance at Christian Cowan’s latest show during New York Fashion Week.
Kharlamova sported a winter chic look fitting of her Heated Rivalry character and Cowan’s reimagined style icons of bygone days. Channeling the collection’s early 1900s influences, the ensemble consisted of a statement piece of outerwear paired with burgundy stockings and tortoise-shell print heels. The pattern embossed coat, worn as a minidress, featured faux-fur cuffs and tang jacket-reminiscent frog closures. Echoing the 2026 return of animal print, the star also carried a zebra-printed clutch with red details.
Justice for the Millennial Side Part
Things got interesting in the beauty front when Kharlamova traded her signature curls for pin-straight hair and a Millennial side part. The glossy hairstyle transformation, overseen by lead hairstylist Justine Marjan with TRESemmé’s A-List Collection, tapped right into the nostalgic “2026 is the new 2016” trend infiltrating cultural conversations.
Now, if you’re unfamiliar with online beauty spaces, you might need a quick rundown about the side part versus middle part discussion. This generational debate has deemed side parts dated and out-of-fashion because of their reign during the 2010s and their association with the Millennial generation. Not anymore. The hairstyle has slowly infiltrated back and per stars, hairstylists and, most importantly, the streets, side parts are officially back.
Kharlamova, of course, is among the stylish icons bringing the Millennial side part back to its former glory.
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Following her runway debut, the actor was spotted out and about in New York, donning the side part with chic outfits on Valentine’s Day. For one, Kharlamova sat front row at the LaQuan Smith show, dressed in a tailored underboob cut-out gray dress.
Earlier, she attended the ALICE + OLIVIA Fall 2026 presentation at Surrogate’s Court, wearing a date-appropriate red cowl neck dress paired with a black fur coat and matching accessories.
That wasn’t the first time Kharlamova sported a cowl-neck dress. In fact, the actor has made this wardrobe staple her signature on this edition of New York Fashion Week. Previously, she stepped out in a glittery cowl-neck nude dress to attend the Gold House Lunar New Year party hosted by co-star Hudson Williams and Bridgerton’s Yerin Han. Kharlamova later embraced the same silhouette for Paper Magazine’s Lunar New Year celebration, opting for a cowl-neck vintage Dior number. The dress, taken straight from the Fall/Winter 2024 show, was a maximalist dream, featuring cheetah print in a bold purple shade.
Isn’t that the wardrobe of a future fashion it-girl?
