Braids seem like an innocent enough look,
smacking as they do of camp nights spent brushing and folding your
friends’ strands into delicate, woven tails. And to go by this summer’s
epidemic of the hairstyle, maybe that’s where they should stay: in those
same New England summer cabins and more importantly, on the heads of
those for whom a facial blemish requires Clearasil, not collagen. But it
seems the lowly plait just won’t go away. Game of Thrones (above) may be in part
to blame, inspiring “Khalessi Hair Tutorials” on the Internet. The
“braid bars” in certain high-end New York salons have been booked solid
with women of all ages, who sport similar styles to black tie affairs
like so many Heidi’s off to hike the Alps.
From left: Nina Dobrev; Kendall JennerAnd celebrities have added fuel to the campfire: Kirsten Dunst got a head-start earlier this year with a veritable laurel weaved into her updo’ at a premiere for Bachelorette. At the recent Teen Choice Awards, The Vampire Diaries Nina Dobrev worked a plait into her otherwise sleek mane (would a simple blow out have been so wrong?), Kendall Jenner wore a side fishtail version and newly minted scarlet woman Kristen Stewart accessorized her usual dirty bedhead side-comb over with a small dangling braid, perhaps a nod to her medieval locks in Snow White and the Huntsman. Off the red carpet, Jessica Alba went for one of her many West Coast ambles-cum-paparazzi fests with a woven section supplementing her otherwise casual bun, lending her the air of a milkmaid. How long before we return to Bo Derek territory? Perhaps happier times are ahead: the creator of the “braid bar” has recently added a “ponytail bar,” suggesting even they might be moving onwards and upwards.
From left: Kristen Stewart; Kirsten DunstPhotos: Game of Thrones: Everett Collection; all others: Getty Images
