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The Best Hair Looks From the Fall 2019 Runways

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Hair, Hairstyle, Face, Eyebrow, Ear, Beauty, Nose, Chin, Long hair, Lip,
LAUNCHMETRICS SPOTLIGHT

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New York Fashion Week served up all the very best hair inspiration for 2020. Rainbow braids, creative ponytails, and gorgeous waves are among the looks that caught our eye backstage. See more standouts, ahead.

1

Chain Headbands

Balmain - Runway - Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2019/2020
Victor VIRGILE//Getty Images

At Balmain, hairstylist Sam McKnight sent self-described "punk princesses" down the runway in chunky chain headbands atop low, soft ponytails. The accessories were strong bordering on scary, while the hair stayed cooly touchable.

2

Rapunzel Braids

Prada - Runway - Milan Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2019/20
Victor VIRGILE//Getty Images

At Prada, Guido Palau continued the punk pop dark goth fantasies with ultra-long braids dyed either platinum blonde or jet black. Some models wore precision-cut bobs, others still strict-parted ponytails. Either way the looks were graphic, severe, and unapologetic.

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3

Fashion Ponytails

Rochas - Runway - Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2019/2020
Victor VIRGILE//Getty Images

When not a single hair is out of place, when the ponytail is snatched, smoothed, and streamlined—then you can call it a fashion pony. And that's exactly what hairstylist Anthony Turner created at Rochas, citing perfection as his inspiration. He tamed flyaways with a lightweight smoothing oil. "It's almost so perfect it borders on strange," he said.

4

Inside Out Braids

Ulla Johnson - Runway - February 2019 - New York Fashion Week
Victor VIRGILE//Getty Images

At Ulla Johnson, French braids were turned on their head (kind of). Instead of weaving straight down the center-back, hairstylist Bob Recine pulled all the hair to one side, plaiting inside-out to create chunky, ropey, off-center braids.

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5

Stitch, Stitch

Yohji Yamamoto - Details - Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2019/2020
SAVIKO//Getty Images

Fine, maybe this hairstyle wouldn't be your first choice in going to meet your in-laws for the first time, but perhaps you can take some inspiration from the creative genius nevertheless. To echo Yohji Yamamoto's primitive inspirations in the collection, hairstylist Eugene Souleiman wove blanket stitches throughout models' hair, evoking a time before brushes, hairspray, and even elastic bands. The result was intricately tactile and imminently pretty.

6

Slicked-Back Strands

Hair, Face, Hairstyle, Fashion, Beauty, Eyebrow, Lip, Chin, Forehead, Model,
Gregory Scaffidi

For a polished "fresh out the shower look," lead stylist Frederic Fekkai used his One Up, One to Hold, and One to Believe In to coat the wet strands before pulling the hair back into a mullet.

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7

Brushed-Out Barrel Curls

Hair, Face, Eyebrow, Lip, Cheek, Beauty, Chin, Hairstyle, Skin, Nose,
Matteo Scarpellini

Renya Xydis was tasked with giving models "sexy" and "beautiful" hair to match Zimmerman's whimsical dresses. She started off by prepping the hair with Wella Professional's Perfect Setting Spray. To add volume and texture, Xydis' team added barrel curls and a deep side part to the hair.

8

Sleek Pin Waves

Hair, Face, Eyebrow, Lip, Hairstyle, Cheek, Chin, Beauty, Nose, Forehead,
Matteo Valle

Chic, simple waves adorned the heads of models at Sally Lapointe. "The look for @sally_lapointe was simple, with a little something extra. We added a small wave off the face, tucked behind the ear, that created a unique, timeless finish," lead stylist Bob Recine said on Instagram.

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9

Fluffy Texture

Face, Hair, Eyebrow, Cheek, Skin, Lip, Beauty, Chin, Forehead, Hairstyle,
Matteo Valle

The hair theme for Collina Strada's fall 2019 show was "70's nomadic punk." Lead stylist Gareth Bromell pulled the models' hair into a classic mullet using Evo products to tease and fluff the hair.

10

Real Curls

Hair, Face, Hairstyle, Eyebrow, Beauty, Ringlet, Chin, Lip, Jheri curl, Skin,
Matteo Valle

The Augment Tokyo gave some models a sharp middle part and a low ponytail, while other models with walked down the runway with their natural curls and locs (Luka Sabbat).

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11

Cool Cornrows

Hair, Hairstyle, Carnival, Costume,
Matteo Scarpellini

Staying true to Chromat designer Becca McCharen-Tran sustainability theme, lead hairstylist Kien Hoang gave several models cornrows that were sealed with recycled water bottle caps. Other models wore flowers and barrettes in their hair.

12

Crimped Coifs

Hair, Face, Hairstyle, Eyebrow, Long hair, Black hair, Beauty, Forehead, Lip, Chin,
Matteo Valle

80s crimped hair made its return at 3.1 Phillip Lim. Lead stylist Gary Gill blow-dried models' hair with the Dyson Supersonic hair dyer, then braided the hair from root to end before applying a flat iron to the braid to create a crimped curl.

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13

Punk Color

Hair, Hairstyle, Hair coloring, Fashion, Turquoise, Wig, Costume, Fashion accessory, Cosplay, Black hair,
Matteo Scarpellini

The Princess of Punk, Anna Sui, upped the ante for her fall 2019 show by sending models down the runway candy colored spiky wigs, which were cut and styled by lead hairstylist, Garren.

14

Sweet Twists

Hair, Hairstyle, Chignon, Bun, Beauty, Long hair, Braid, French braid, Brown hair, Hair coloring,
LAUNCHMETRICS SPOTLIGHT

Brandon Maxwell's whimsical, fluffy gowns were juxtaposed with simple, ballerina-style twisted knot buns. Lead stylist Ben Recine started off by blow-drying the models' hair with Dyson's Supersonic Hair Dryer and slicked the hair back into a low ponytail using Aveda Air Control Hair Spray to keep flyaways at bay.

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15

Hair Jewels

Hair, Hairstyle, Headpiece, Hair accessory, Bridal accessory, Black hair, Long hair, Chignon, Fashion accessory, Headgear,
Monica Schipper//Getty Images

Lead hair stylist Justine Marjan had an innovative take on the low ponytail, adorning it with cascading silver chains. To secure the chains, she had a hidden cornrow going across the crown of the head so they could easily clip in. For extra shine, she used TRESemmé Keratin Smooth Shine Serum.

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16

Rainbow Pigtails

Hair, People, Hairstyle, Lip, Dreadlocks, Fashion, Cornrows, Black hair, Tribe, Fashion accessory,
Getty Images

Nicole Miller's show wasn't about having one uniform look, instead models walked the runway in a hairstyle of their preference. For rapper JZL the Empress, making her runway debut, that meant rainbow braided pigtails. "The experience was amazing and her collection was energetically pleasing!! I loved the professional look she chose for me to mix with my playful vibes and colorz!" she wrote on Instagram.

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17

Curly Ponys

Hair, Ear, Face, Hairstyle, Eyebrow, Chin, Beauty, Nose, Skin, Cheek,
Gregory Scaffidi

If you thought ponytails were meant for the gym or other casual settings, think again. Badgley Mischka proved a ponytail works beautifully for an evening look when styled right—in this case, that means an almost pompadour-like volume at the top and silky waves.

18

Lived-In Texture

Hair, Face, Hairstyle, Fashion, Beauty, Eyebrow, Shoulder, Lip, Black hair, Blond,
Gregory Scaffidi

This relaxed half-updo is just the right amount of messy. Models' hair were neither wavy nor straight, just with a slight bend and tied back into a loose bun. What really makes us love this look is how hair was left out in the front, framing the face beautifully.

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19

Low Chignons

Hair, Clothing, Hairstyle, Fashion, Dress, Neck, Fashion model, Beauty, Shoulder, Chignon,
Matteo Scarpellini

Prim and proper was the vibe at Brock Collection, where the models had elegant, slicked-back low chignons.

20

Painted Layers

Hair, Face, Eyebrow, Hairstyle, Lip, Fashion, Beauty, Forehead, Head, Chin,
Matteo Valle

Models looked as if they had buckets of white paint spilled on the crowns of their heads, giving a really grungy, messy effect.

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