Head-turning hair fashions for fall: bangs, rows and tails
From ‘60s-inspired bangs and the comeback of cornrows to elaborate new takes on the ponytail, fall’s latest hair looks offer styling inspiration. But translating catwalk hair to the sidewalk isn’t so simple — not everyone in Hollywood has a personal hair guru on speed dial.
Enter hairstylist Jon Reyman, co-owner of Spoke & Weal salon in Beverly Grove, who styles hair for up to 30 runway presentations at New York Fashion Week each season and has tended to the tresses of Sienna Miller, Lana Del Rey and Fergie.
“One of the misses for [many] hairdressers is that they don’t actually teach their guests how to style their own hair, so they leave the salon thinking, ‘I love my hair but I can’t ever replicate it,’” says Reyman. “Then they go to YouTube and watch a lot of people who don’t know what they’re doing, burning hair off in their bathrooms. These are not the people who are supposed to be teaching the consumer.”
To that end, Reyman launched Jon Reyman Pro in January. An online curriculum of step-by-step instruction for professional hair stylists and consumers, the site includes hundreds of video lessons, based on hair length, hair type and technique. Member salons can share access with clients, or anyone can subscribe for $79 per year. “It’s one thing to leave the salon looking beautiful, and it’s another thing to look beautiful three days later,” says Reyman, who weighs in on the wearability of fall hair trends.
Cornrow redux
Move over, Bo Derek. Far from the bead-bedecked cornrows and plaits the actress wore in the 1979 film “10,” cornrows with a punk vibe have shown up recently on model Cara Delevingne, singer Rita Ora and actress Kristen Stewart, as well as on the Alexander McQueen, DKNY and Marchesa runways. Madeline Brewer in “Orange Is the New Black” was another forerunner of the trend.
“Cornrows are moving away from urban, hip-hop to more chic and edgy,” says Reyman. “There were spiral cornrows at Alexander McQueen, and I did fishtail cornrows woven with fabric. I have also been incorporating cornrows into center parts and side parts. Just one cornrow or a couple on the side is really cool [as opposed to a headful], but they have to be on the right person with the right clothing. Obviously, McQueen is very gothic and strong, so that customer is looking for that Elizabethan or ‘Game of Thrones’ edginess.
“A French braid is actually just a large cornrow. Whether it’s a small row or a big row, plaits create a nice intricacy and point of interest that make hair look fresh. We also see braids evolving into other styles, like ponytails and the pulled-apart braided chignon at Elie Saab couture.”
Big bang theory
Part of the ‘60s-era wave in fall fashion, eye-grazing bangs that channel Jane Birkin and Marianne Faithfull made a strong showing at Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton and Tory Burch and have cropped up on of-the-moment models Joan Smalls and Sam Rollinson, as well as actresses Dakota Johnson and Jessica Chastain. Those not ready for the chopping block might take a nod from Miu Miu, where hair was tucked behind the ears just so to create the illusion of fringe with no locks lost.
“Even though bangs are a bit heavy, they still have some softness now,” says Reyman. “But you have to have the right face shape. If you have a round face and add fringe, it’s just going to make it look rounder; if you have a longer face, it will cut that space in a third and make it look less long and [wider], so it works. The [trompe l’oeil] look at Miu Miu is about lots of hair spray and pinning and tucking. But as you go through the day, you play around and want hair to be flexible, so this look only really works for a short-term evening event.”
Pony(tail) express
The all-American ponytail morphs from girl-next-door to sophisticate, shown on fall runways with a sharp center part at Balmain, a low side part at DKNY, long and sleek at Ralph Lauren and Jason Wu, in basket-weave style at Fendi, banded at Valentino and crimped and fabric-laced at Chanel. Valentino’s haute couture show featured glossy, wet-look waves gathered into a low, loose ponytail with wraparound strands. At a July party at the Serpentine Gallery in London, Delevingne paired her Mulberry gown with a high ponytail, demonstrating how the style instantly relaxes a black-tie look.
“The ponytail in every iteration is in, and I think that accessories make it really lovely,” says Reyman. “The Valentino ready-to-wear look is all back-combed and smoothed out and then just wrapped with bands, so it’s fairly simple. But for some of these looks, you have to add extensions.... The Valentino couture look is about setting the wave in a very specific, figure-eight bend with a flat iron, and the wet look has to be done just right, greasier and intentional, like you mean it.”
