The braidy bunch: a humble braid is this season's hottest hairdo

As a plait pop-up opens at Selfridges it's time to weave your way into the halos and corn rows of the catwalks
Clever craft: braids at thebraidbar.co.uk
Emma McCarthy9 February 2015

When the couture shows reached their close last month, it wasn't the five-figure price tags or the precision craftsmanship that was the greatest source of chatter on the front row but the showcase's prevailing hairstyle.

This wasn't - as one might assume - an elaborate up-do sprayed with lashings of shimmering crystals or a lacquered blow dry a la Donatella Versace but a surprisingly simple incarnation that takes its cue from the school playground.

The humble braid is this season's hottest hairdo. Of course, this being couture, these were no run-of-the-mill pigtails but understatedly beautiful flourishes of styling genius that in themselves were works of art.

At Valentino, models wore flower crowns created with halo braids peppered with fresh daises, wild flowers and lilacs, while at Chanel, loose, mid-length plaits were tied with a pom-pom fashioned from fabric in the collection.

At Schiaparelli, a neat cap of tight braids formed the perfect canvas for the elaborate designs. But it seems the fashion industry's love affair with braids doesn't end in Paris - this look is also in favour among the capital's most photographed, too.

The braidy bunch - in pictures

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Witness Emilia Fox, who stepped out at last week's Bafta film gala dinner in support of its Give Something Back campaign, with a side skull plait, and Keira Knightley, a long-term braid ambassador, who chose a simple low braid topped with a diamond clasp at a recent awards ceremony. So in demand is the style that at London Fashion Week later this month, Sketch - a popular hangout among the style set - will swing open its doors each morning to front-row attendees (and sideline observers) to get this season's answer to the bouncy blow-dry alongside their breakfast.

From classic French twists to intricate fishtail plaits, a grand total of 12 tricky-to-achieve yet easy-to-wear styles will be available at The Braid Bar's soon-to-launch pop-up.

Launched by Sarah Hiscox and Willa Burton with the aim of offering time-strapped Londoners a quick and easy solution to bad-hair days that doesn't require an appointment - or even a hair wash - the salon's team of nimble-fingered braiders can give you a new 'do in just 15 minutes for as little as £15.

The Braid Bar also invites those hoping to catch the eye of a street-style snapper or two to accessorise their braids with feathers, gems, brightly coloured hair chalks or even fibre-optic light strips.

On the February 23 it will also open a pit-stop salon in Selfridges for two weeks to offer bedraggled shoppers an overhaul ahead of cocktail hour.

Of course, if you haven’t got the time or cash to spare on a trip to The Braid Bar, the internet makes for an ideal tutor.

Take your cue from the tweens who have longed looked to YouTube for tips on recreating styles straight from the catwalk with a DIY tutorial from one of the - wait for it - 1.5 million braid tutorials online, ranging from how to achieve the perfect fishtail to Zoella’s take on the classic Heidi.

Or you can choose from the 63,000 results available for recreating Elsa’s ice queen plait. Who says braids are just for kids?

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