It's safe to say that this season, there was a hairstyle in New York, London, Milan or Paris to suit everyone. Whether you're into the groomed look, complete with a glossy Kate Middleton-esque blow-dry, or you prefer the simplicity of a preppy princessy headband or even the ease of a low-maintainence fringe, there's something for every level of 'done'. Here are your hairstyle trends 2017.
Headbands
Channel your inner Blair Waldorf with one of this season’s must-have hair accessories – the headband. What was once the preserve of schoolgirls everywhere has had a grown-up makeover for AW17 courtesy of Chanel’s pearl-embellishment, Elie Saab’s metallic studs and H&M’s chic satin bands. There are two ways to wear it: either teamed with a swishy top-of-the-class pony or slung low with your back-combed hair poking out at the back.
Bowl Cuts
The bowl cut may conjure up images of that unfortunate boy at primary school whose mother cut his hair herself, but hear us out – after all, when hairdressing royalty Guido Palau deems it cool, you sit up and listen. The superstar stylist chopped model Catherine McNeil’s hair into the elegant mushroom-style for the Alexander Wang show during New York Fashion Week, with Lanvin and Haider Ackermann following suit.
Side Partings
Perennially flattering, a side-parting is forgiving for all face shapes, which is why it’s never really been out of fashion. This season though it was omnipresent on the catwalks of New York, London, Milan and Paris, with get-up-and-go vibes at Lanvin and Louis Vuitton vs. Margot Tennenbaum-esque straight bobs at Hermes.
The New Ponytails
Forget everything you knew about ponytails and prepare to be schooled. Ready? At Rochas, we learnt that ponytails should be low and looped and secured with a wrap of our own hair, next, J.W. Anderson showed us that the side pony – last seen circa 1988 – is terribly cool still, while Alexander McQueen’s were slouchy and falling out. So whether you’re aiming for neatness or just-fell-out-of-bed-ness, there’s an update for you.
Groomed
Perfect blow-dries were evident on the runways at Alexis Mabille, MaxMara and Jenny Packham, with glossy, bouncy hair inspired no doubt by a certain member of the royal family. Straighteners were ditched in favour of natural-looking, thick curls, which had been teased into waves so as not to look too ‘done’, while finishing products had been run through the ends to ensure not a hair was out of place. In the simplest terms, it’s posh girl hair.
Warrior Princesses
For this one, think eco warrior meets Westerosi princess. At Antonio Berardi, faux-plaits were added to backcombed hair and fastened around the crown for a look described by stylist Tina Outen as ‘Scottish princess, with a touch of Macbeth’. Meanwhile, at Balmain and Andrew Gn, things were a little bit Bladerunner, with tight mini-French braids snaking down the centre of the head before being secured in a low pony at both.
Fringes
Designers almost universally agreed on the new way to wear your fringe this season, with eye-skimming, over-grown, school girl styles seen at 3.1 Phillip Lim, Erdem, Joseph and Alexander Wang, each finger-combed and rough-dried for an insouciant look.
Futuristic
Feeling brave? Then maybe this season’s penchant for space-age ‘dos might be for you. At Thom Browne, models’s hair was slicked back and silver, Antonio Marras took Chola curls intergalactic and Issey Miyake had hologram-style hair pieces worn as headbands.
All pictures courtesy of Jason Lloyd-Evans