Raw Odile

Fashion Plaits The array of braids on the spring runways—from the spine-grazing ropes at Donna Karan to the single cornrowed parts at Giamba—had one thing in common: refreshing inventiveness. Particularly captivating were the fishtails at Suno, reimagined by the stylist Odile Gilbert, who wove this elaborate-looking updo. “The word for braids is ‘charming,’ ” Gilbert says. “They are always related to youth, and appear in almost every country and culture.” For the here and now, Gilbert suggests going large and loose, fastening them atop the head with just “three or four bobby pins.” Spritz on a bit of L’Oréal Paris Elnett Satin Hairspray to hold them in place. “It looks complicated, but it’s not,” Gilbert notes. And what could be more charming than that Beauty note: Nars Dual Intensity Blush in Panic leaves a modern fair-maiden flush.

3.1 Phillip Lim jacket; Jil Sander top; Tiffany & Co.earrings; Vhernier ear clips (on collar).

Roll Play The looped faux-bang may scream Bettie Page, but Gilbert had another reference in mind. “For me, Blade Runner is iconic,” says the French hairstylist, noting that the film’s replicant heroine, Rachael, wore her hair tied in the back and rolled in the front. For this interpretation, Gilbert straightened a section at the hairline using Kérastase Resistance Ciment Thermique and then coiled the hair under, leaving a few strands loose. Even with a humanoid—and not a pinup—as a muse, Gilbert achieved a sensuality that is tangible. “I love that the bang is perfect, but the hair is flying around it,” she says. “For me, seduction is about the balance of perfect and imperfect, always. She has to look touchable.” Beauty note: Stain lips with a tinge of sultry raspberry. Try Chantecaille Hydra Chic Lipstick in Saxifrage.

Hermès blouson; Alexander Wang jacket (underneath); Banana Republic turtleneck; (right ear) Alexis Bittar earring; (left ear) Loewe earring.

Rockabilly Baby After using Kerastase Forme Fatale through the hair, Gilbert applied the brand’s Gloss Appeal on the ends, separating the strands as she murmured “mermaid” to herself. But her influences here weren’t of the aquatic world. “It’s masculine, very music,” she says. “It’s sexy rockabilly—the wet is what makes it sexy.”

3.1 Phillip Lim jacket; Jil Sander top; Tiffany & Co.earrings; Vhernier ear clips (on collar).

Miss Frizzle

Gilbert is notorious for spontaneous ideas that end with an organic masterpiece. Here, she pinned up curls of hair that has been brushed out and spritzed with dry shampoo into what looked like a deliberate and intricate updo. But once the model sat in front of the camera, the stylist changed her mind, unpinning the whole apparatus and spinning the hair into a low twist in nearly a single gesture. “I’m not thinking, it’s a feeling,” she says. “Done, but undone. It’s also American. Red carpet. Less Marie Antoinette, more Katharine Hepburn.”

Hair: Odile Gilbert at Exposure NY; makeup: Jeanine Lobell at Tim Howard Management; manicure: Honey at Exposure NY. Model: Julia Hafstrom at IMG Models. Digital technician: Dane Brown. Photography assistants: Eric hodgman, Drew Vickers.

Hermès blouson; Alexander Wang jacket (underneath); Banana Republic turtleneck; (right ear) Alexis Bittar earring; (left ear) Loewe earring.