Four hot hairstyles for fall
Fall’s hottest hairstyles include perfect and polished 1950s ponytails and pixie cuts inspired by Mia Farrow’s late-1960s crop. The trendiest styles from fashion runways and the red carpet are pulled up, swept to the side or simply chopped off.
Top knot
This style seems to rule with leading ladies, as well as with tweens and twentysomethings who love Audrey Hepburn’s hair in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” Salma Hayek and Molly Sims have been spotted recently with their hair piled up on the tops of their heads and coiled around like a dollop of whipped cream. The look is reminiscent of the 1960s and shows off a pretty face and high cheekbones. The Urban Outfitters set is also sporting this look, but in an edgier way, with hair on the sides slicked up against the head and the knot a bit tighter and more twisted than the coif that’s been seen on the red carpet.
The style is likely to stick around for spring: Frédéric Fekkai stylist Renato Campora gave models at the Marchesa spring 2011 runway show in September a tight, braided top knot that sat toward the front of the head. To get this look, Campora applied a rich styling cream called Fekkai Essential Shea Tame & Style Pot de Crème. He flipped the head over so the hair fell toward the top, braided the hair, wound it around and then secured it to the crown of the head.
Pixie cut
Plenty of young celebrities also have cut off their hair for a 1960s-inspired gamine look that is evocative of Mia Farrow’s in “Rosemary’s Baby.” Celebrities including Emma Watson, Carey Mulligan, Michelle Williams and, most recently, Ashlee Simpson-Wentz have chopped their once long, extension-filled and over-processed Hollywood hair to show off pretty faces and delicate features. Perhaps they are trying to drive the idea home that they are serious actresses, not to be lumped in with the 15-minutes-of-fame reality stars. (In Simpson-Wentz’s case, it could be that her hair was fried from the black to red to platinum dye jobs she’s been juggling the last few years.) Either way, cutting their hair so short is a gutsy move that sets them apart from the pack of over-styled starlets.
1950s ponytail
Another pulled-back look seen on the runway is the perky and flirty “ Barbie-esque” ponytail like the kind that appeared in Louis Vuitton’s fall 2010 fashion shows. The hair perfectly complemented the collection’s full, below-the-knee skirts and heels. The key to this chic ponytail versus your running-errands-on-a-Sunday-afternoon pony is the sleek front and the flip at the ends. This may take more time to style than you’re used to, but the look adds some sweetness to fall’s cashmere sweaters and a “Mad Men” quality to holiday party dresses.
Side-swept braid
A style that started on the runways of designers such as Alexander Wang and Miu Miu when they showed their collections for spring 2010 seems to be sticking around with no signs of stopping. The loose and slightly disheveled side braid is being worn casually as well as with cocktail dresses on the red carpet. Actress Kate Mara recently paired a side-swept fish-tail braid with a pink one-shoulder cocktail frock at the 2010 Teen Vogue Young Hollywood party. On the street, stylish girls seem to be taking their cues from celebrities such as Mara and Kate Bosworth by finessing their hair into side-swept braids. If you’ve mastered the style, keep wearing it past fall. The side braid works perfectly with spring 2011’s 1970s-inspired collections.
