The new season hair trends

For the most part SS12 hair was a ladylike, elegant affair with retro updos, wispy French pleats and structured side partings stealing focus – take your style cues from Louis Vuitton, Fendi and Preen, who all showcased perfect examples. There was one major trend that didn’t conform to these demure rules however, and thanks to its prevalence at so many shows from New York to Paris, it looks set to be the standout star of the season. Welcome to the world of wet-look locks…

Saturated, soaking wet hair was the unifying trend in every fashion city and was seen everywhere from Chanel to Alexander Wang and Alberta Ferretti. When done best this style oozed a kind of effortlessly sexy, sporty vibe – as though models had stepped straight off the beach or out of the pool, ‘ this kind of texture lends an edge of strength and boldness that works beautifully with clean, simple silhouettes’ said Guido Palau who was undoubtedly the trend’s biggest champion.

In a similarly watery vein, tumbling waves made their mark on this season’s catwalks. Whether demure and girly like at Sonia Rykiel or retro at Anna Sui, every offering was perfectly executed with deliberately bouncy, defined curls. To keep this look modern take inspiration from Cacharel, where waves cascaded from below the ears and were teamed with a strict side part – the perfect balance to this super-sweet trend.

Hair stylists were on a retro tip this season with many rediscovering the charm and ease of simple pleats. In its most basic guise at Roberto Cavalli and Preen they had a certain romantic allure about them, but it was when stylists brought a decidedly modern element into play that things got interesting; at Narciso Rodriguez they were spray painted with neon shades, at Jil Sander the placement of the pleat lent a robotic beauty and at Fendi excess volume meant models resembled futuristic Stepford wives.

However you wear your hair, make sure it’s suitably SS12 and pair it with a side parting. ‘A strong side parting gives an architectural finish which looks fresh when paired with any of this season’s softer, more whimsical styles’ said Paul Hanlon at Costume National. If the slick styles at Derek Lam and Christian Dior are too tough, make like the models at Missoni and Christopher Kane with a mesh of soft, wispy hair instead.

Fashion’s latest love affair is with the ultra girly and no one did it better than Louis Vuitton where models showed off starchy, frothy updos that complemented the collection perfectly. Elsewhere Valentino, Marni and Richard Nicoll tapped into the trend with halo braids, beehives and simple buns all embellished with fluffy strands of baby hair.

Updos came in many forms this season from those that aligned themselves with SS12’s biggest trend (Bottega Veneta’s buns were slicked with oil and messily pinned on top of heads) to those that belonged to another tribe entirely. At Jean Paul Gaultier we saw an elaborate twist on 1950s victory rolls while Giorgio Armani and Dolce & Gabbana’s elegantly pinned updos were understated yet womanly and oh-so chic.