S/S15: Five Key Hair Codes

From slick wedges and matted kinks to relaxed length and delicate wisps, S/S15 has been a varied season for hair. Natalie Westling’s vivid locks were twisted into Björk-esqe knots at Marc by Marc Jacobs, only to be set free for Dries Van Noten’s take on Shakespeare-meets-Woodstock. Elsewhere, models were wigged up for Comme des Garçons or chalked white for Rick Owens. Here, we present our Top Five Hair Codes for S/S15.

The Wedge
A little bit Bowie, a little bit Mia Farrow, Eugene Souleiman’s glacial white, surrealist take on the pixie cut for Haider Ackermann has been one of the talking points of Paris fashion week. "It was a mix of a choir boy and Joan of Arc," explains Souleiman. "It was quite a squashed hairstyle, kind of like you had been wearing a hat and then taken it off. All of the girls were wearing wigs, which I was working on for a few days prior to the show. It was a mini military mission to get them finished. Colouring was completed under the supervision of Josh Wood. The aim was to get the whitest possible colour, like the clothes." The trend du jour was also seen at Comme des Garçons in a heavy, black mop, or more gently in Saint Laurent’s short fringes.

Woodstock Waves
Dries Van Noten, Hussein Chalayan, Bottega Veneta and Givenchy all championed a relaxed approach to hair this season, which echoed the ethereal qualities and poetic note of each collection. It embodies the strong 70’s Woodstock vibe that has been ever-present throughout fashion week this season, reminiscent of Janis Joplin, Talitha Getty and Jean Baez.

The Knot
Twisted bantu knots made a brief appearance earlier this year at Christopher Shannon’s S/S15 menswear show, and for womenswear Guido Palau championed the nineties throwback at the Marc by Marc Jacobs show in New York, for Luella Bartley and Katie Hillier's British rave-inspired girl gang. Elsewhere Rag & Bone took a more relaxed play on the knot, with a low-slung loop styled by Paul Hanlon.

The Wet Kink 
Reminiscent of a 1920’s shingle, Yohji Yamamoto's wet wave was finished with a tangled mass on top, styled by Eugene Souleiman. "It was inspired by a Spanish dancer's hair, with an artist's freedom," he explains. "The idea of a controlled Spanish wave, finished with an artist's brush stroke." The hair played against Yohji's idiosyncratic take on beauty, both delicate and sinister. Souleiman also lent his hand to the kinked spikes at Ann Demeulemeester, which again toyed with the idea of "control versus unstructured texture."

Slicked Back
From sleek up-dos in New York at Diesel, Alexander Wang and Proenza, to crimped ponytails at Chloé, slicked-back hair offers an architectural severity against the relaxed, hippie waves. Maison Martin Margiela also featured a soaking wet backcomb by Guido Palau, who is a known connoisseur of the wet look style.

Text by Mhairi Graham