Runway Hairstyles How-To Styling Tips...

Get the Hot Summer Braids from the Tracy Reese fashion show

Get the Hot Summer Braids from the Tracy Reese fashion show

Dear Sharon: With hot weather coming, I can never quite get a daytime summer hairstyle that rocks a runway look without being too done or showy. Do you have any runway hair tips for stylish long hair in the summer? -- Hairess to Style (Portland, OR)


Dear Hairess to Style: Getting a definitive, modern hairstyle for day can get a bit tricky—particularly when the weather gets hot and humid and your hair can go either limp or fizzy. Honestly, who has the time for complicated styling, hot rollers, or hair that may look cute at night but winds of looking like debutant racing to a beauty pageant during the day?

Let’s get an undone do that does your style right.

When your clothes get more structured or tailored, a more undone doneness looks modern and fresh for hair. And, we’ve got the styling ticket for you! Goddess braids – the celebrity red carpet to real day hairstyle that’s been seen on Sienna Miller, Nicole Ritchie, The Olsens, Ashlee Simpson and almost every It Girl with hair long enough to twist and turn.

To create a sexy, approachable look that compliments the 1940’s inspired knee-length dresses at the spring – summer Tracy Reese fashion show, top hairstylist Edris Nichols owner of NY’s Edris Salon and her hair styling team were called to update the retro hairdo classic, the roll wave, to a modern runway hairstyle. The braided roll and wave hairstyle was modernized by sweeping hair to one-side, then creating two long braids on each sides of the head, which then join into one ponytail braid that is also placed on the side of the head.

Styling tips to get the runway braids look at home:
 To guarantee that the braids were super smooth and relaxed, Edris and her hair team first blew out the hair using the FHI Heat Salon Pro 2000 blow dryer with and protected hair from heat damage while styling with FHI Heat Hot Sauce. Next, they used a styling iron to carefully straighten hair before braiding.

 Parting the hair asymmetrically, Edris started to create a larger braid, keeping it as close to the nape of the neck as possible. Then, she braided the other side, joining the two braids off to the side in the back of the head.

 The great thing about this style is that you don’t have to have the most nimble styling fingers, a little purposeful unstructured mess goes a long way. To relax the taut braids and make them appear slightly messy, Edris then used a comb to loosen it up a bit.

This intentionally undone and seemingly casual long hairstyle echoes the longer hemline of Tracy Reese’s spring looks and creates the perfect balance for a collection which is inspired by “exotic romanticism tempered with a sense of ease.” Bravo.

--June 5, 2008