The Lazy Girl's Guide To Non-Boring Buns
By Natalie Gontcharova
PHOTO: MCV PHOTO.
In Groundhog Day fashion, every morning of high school and college (and, who am I kidding, long beyond), I would wake up and evaluate my fine, frizzy waves in the mirror. I’d look at the time, realize there’s absolutely no way to tame that mess in so short a period, and say, “Screw it, I’m just going to put it up in a bun.”
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You could describe these as years of wasted potential, of flat-ironed ‘dos and waves that never came to be. You could also think of them as years wasted on not-quite-there buns — ones thrown together thoughtlessly with damp, bending-every-which-way hair.
After all, there are plenty of ways to make the everyday, go-to hairstyle look chic and fresh. The last couple of seasons on the runways, we’ve been seeing plenty of plays on the bun in the form of top knots, ballerinas, and chignons — both purposely messy and impossibly polished. Most of them are quite easy to pull off at home. And, not one of them will make you look like you just rolled out of bed — at least not in a bad way.
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So, next time you’re all “I feel sloppy because I don’t have time to get my hair out of its perpetual slept-on purgatory,” look to these runway creations for inspiration. With a few slight tweaks, you can make the laziest of hairstyles look downright elegant, current, and not at all just-came-from-the-gym (unless you like it that way, of course).
PHOTO: COURTESY OF BUMBLE AND BUMBLE.
Double-Knot It
At Vera Wang’s fall 2015 show, the bun looked purposely slept-on (which, trust us, can be very different from actually slept-on). Curl it from root to ear to add texture, and then pull it into the double knot.
PHOTO: MCV PHOTO.
Throw It For A Loop
Center-part, then keep the elegant, sculpted loop together with a legit hairspray, like Shu Uemura Art of Hair Sheer Lacquer, which John Barrett used for this look at Dennis Basso’s fall 2015 showing.
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PHOTO: MCV PHOTO.
Do The Twist
Guido Palau left the ends loose at Victoria Beckham’s fall 2015 show — and what a difference it made. Blowdry your hair smooth, then mist your fingers with finishing spray and use them as a comb to create the ponytail. Secure it, and create the loop by twisting the hair twice through.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KENRA PROFESSIONAL.
Flip It & Reverse It
Angular styles were big at Fashion Week this time around. At Suno, the huge barrette was a key part of the look — you know you have one lying around somewhere.
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PHOTO: COURTESY OF TRESSEMME.
Fly Away
Who says flyaways can’t be on purpose? At DVF,Orlando Pita created a simple, soft look by pulling the hair into a low pony, tying it up, folding it into a flat bun, and pinning it loosely on the side. The finishing touch: Leave a few pieces out. It’s more interesting that way.
PHOTO: MCV PHOTO.
Try The Ballerina, Off-Duty Look
Sometimes, you gotta go sleek and pretty. Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa created this style for Erin Fetherston’s spring 2015 show: Pull hair into a low ponytail, spritz it with hairspray, secure with an elastic and bobby pins, split it into two sections and tie into a knot, and roll and pin the remaining sections. Cool '60s botanical prints and lace optional.
PHOTO: MCV PHOTO.
Add An Accessory
At Ohne Titel’s spring 2015 show, we saw super easy-to-create buns that sat at the nape of the neck. What the hairstyle lacked in technique (good news for you), it made up in cool accessories: Bumble and bumble stylist Jordan added rad custom headpieces to underscore the look. Have an Etsy-loving friend who makes funky little extras like this? She’ll hook you up.
PHOTO: MCV PHOTO.
Braid It
For something just a bit more complex, try a chignon braid, like Rodney Cutler created for Tadashi Shoji’s spring 2015 show. Start with a ponytail, braid it, pull it to one side, and fold it so that it lays flat on the nape of the neck. Our editors suggest pulling it off with second-day hair, so it doesn’t look overly precious.
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PHOTO: MCV PHOTO.
Go Sk8er Boi
The hair at Creatures of the Wind for spring 2015 was inspired by skater boys: messy and half-done. You can amplify it with a smidge of salt spray, and leave some face-framing layers in the front. Very lazy-girl — but purposefully so.
PHOTO: MCV PHOTO.
Sock-Bun It
It looked fantastic — and not overly “done” — at Nanette Lepore’s spring 2015 show. For how-tos, fire up your Pinterest. (There are about a gajillion of them on there, so apologies in advance for sending you down a hair-DIY rabbit hole.)
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