6 Far-From-Basic Hair Trends We Spotted on the Runways This Season

Tia Adeola on the NYFW schedule guarantees one thing: romantic drama. While lace and ruffles are the cornerstones of her collections, hair plays an integral part in tying a Tia Adeola look together. Models donned cornrows and curls that were morphed into intricate, towering updos and accentuated with baby hair swirls. Thom Browne turned the drama up even more with braids bent into a unicorn-esque horn.

Sexy, sophisticated, and polished is the best way to describe the LaQuan Smith girl. Her outfit is the star, so her hair can’t take up too much of the spotlight. Still, Unilever stylist and celebrity hair artist, Lacy Redway, found a way to give the hair some shine—literally. “LaQuan has a lot of beautiful fabrics and silhouettes in his collection. I drew inspiration from the materials by noticing how the sequin and satin reflected and bounced off the light. I wanted the same feelings for the hair—shiny and reflective,” she explained. She achieved the look using TRESemmé Keratin Smooth Shine Serum to seal the sheen.

PatBo followed a similar vibe, tucking the hair behind the ear but allowing the ends to be as free as possible. Over at Brandon Maxwell, British hairstylist Eugene Souleiman opted for more of a polished “wet look” for models. “It’s literally a woman who has come out of the shower and has snatched her hair back, so it’s really tight. We kind of wanted it to feel like it’s air drying and that it wasn’t totally wet; kind of this raw, very clean, glamorous, pinched kind of sharp look that looks cool,” he explains.

Proenza Schouler understands a woman on the go doesn’t necessarily have time to worry about her hair. Lead stylist Guido Palau wanted the runway look to “encompass the different moments of [her] life, whether it be going to work, walking, meeting friends for coffee. Beauty and realness are enhanced through a few select hair products to bring out their raw, genuine, and natural sense of self,” he says, using Bumble and Bumble’s Brilliantine and Spray de Mode Hairspray to get the point across.

The blown-out, undone look was a hit at Ulla Johnson, whose lead stylist Joey George drew inspiration from the renaissance period—no, not’s Beyonce’s version—specifically Botticelli’s work. Before braiding the models’ hair, George sprayed Oribe’s Dry Texturizing Spray or Flash Form Finishing Spray Wax to add texture.

Balletcore is alive and well. At Alice + Olivia, the traditional ballerina bun is less stiff and more relaxed, featuring soft waves bundled up loosely. Lead hairstylist Nick Stenson, founder of Nick Stenson Beauty, shared that it was about being "perfectly imperfect." In an exclusive conversation with ELLE.com, Stenson said, "We want to celebrate the hair and the movement and where it's going, and we want to make it look its best. So having hair have moments of a little wispiness and airiness to the curl or to the straight hair is what's going to celebrate it, and you're going to appreciate how it looks because it's going to look different than everyone."

Christian Siriano's iteration left no room for flyaways, as the models' hair was neatly tucked in a bun at the middle of the head to allow room for the designs, while the buns at Jason Wu rested on the nape of the neck.

There's no such thing as too much drama if Sergio Hudson has any say. The beauty look was inspired by dolls—from the voluminous mane to the fluttery lashes. Bouncy, fluffy curls were pulled into a half-up-half-down style to match the vibrant neon tailoring 90s sculpted silhouettes. Dramatized beauty is also The Blonds' signature aesthetic, and this year was no different. High ponytails were adorned with even more hair that defied the laws of gravity.

Thinking about getting bangs? Bring this photo from the Kim Shui runway to your hairstylist as inspiration. The bangs at Kim Shui were straight and spiky, a departure from the fluffy curtain bangs gaining traction on TikTok. Concept Korea took a different approach by creating old Hollywood waves and swooping the side bangs into a slicked-back bun.