“Corset Braids” Is The Flirtiest Hair Trend To Come Out Of NYFW

Over the New York Fashion Week weekend, designer Christian Siriano celebrated the brand’s 15th anniversary with a show inspired by the iconic Bombay Sapphire bottle and Bombay French 75 cocktail. Among over-exaggerated ruffle hem-lines and glittery puff sleeves (and also Sia performing with a giant bow on her head), it would seem like other smaller details might go unnoticed. However, the hair look made a statement all its own— proving that you don’t need to be wearing a classic gown to participate in the corset trend. Lacy Redway, lead hair artist for the show and Unilever stylist sent models down the runway in what she’s calling “braided corsets”.

Redway says her inspiration for the “corset braids” started from the clothes. “The moment I saw the softness of the color tones, the richness of the fabrication, and the beautiful layering of the tulle details of the gowns in Christian’s studio, I knew to best support the looks I had to keep the hair feeling soft,” she told NYLON. “Clean girl aesthetic but put together like you would expect to see a ballerina fairy who twirls down the runway.”

To create the braided corsets, Redway said she first prepped the hair with TRESemmé Extra Hold Mousse, created parts for each section, and then dutch braided each section towards the nape of the neck. One the hair is gathered at the nape, she looped all the sections together into a simple low bun. For those who have already mastered hair braiding, getting the corset braid look can be re-created as simply as it takes you to find a ribbon. “Loop a ribbon through the top of the braids, and loop through like a corset, wrapping around the loop of the bun, letting the ends hang loose,” says Redway. She secured the hairstyles for the show with TRESemmé Extra Hold Hairspray for extra staying power.

The corset-inspired look has been just the tip of the ribbon iceberg when it comes to NYFW hair thus far. On September 8, Collina Strada models walked down the runway with scraps of ribbon and material from the collection added into woven braids, and at Helmut Lang slicked-back low buns were accompanied by long ribbons wrapped around the head as a headband. Clearly, the ribbon trend is only gaining steam, and corset braids are one of the most unexpected ways to add a (deconstructed) bow to your hair.