Fashion Week Update: Aveda @ Christian Siriano

Undoubtedly one of those styles that both downtown and uptown girls should be adapting any day now, the “flat kinks” created backstage at Christian Siriano went through a series of steps that this editor swore she would try soon. Aveda lead stylist Antoinette Beenders told me: “It’s a simple wave, and we’re using a cool technique to get there. We’re sectioning hair into three equal amounts and then braiding them. Christian’s collection was inspired by the graceful beauty of orchid flower petals. We wanted a hair style that captures that natural elegance."

Before getting down to the plaits, she preps hair for blow-drying with Aveda Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair. Once hair straight, she creates a deep center part, and creates her sections. “You don’t want to braid the hair all the way to the end,” she notes as she secures the braid with a tie elastic. The reason: She wants the ends to appear straight. A misting of Aveda Air Control Hair Spray allows the plaits to retain their shape, but Beenders has other plans to reinforce the kink. She brings out a flat iron and clamps down multiples times at lightening speed through the length of the braid, even running the iron up and down the braid to “roughen it.” “We’re doing this with really quick ‘bumps’ of heat because we don’t want any rivet marks  [lines of demarcation],” Beenders explains.

With her fingers, she starts pulling the braids apart, tugging at random points. The effect allows the kinks to morph and distrort and flatten even more. Once the hair is released, Beenders uses her fingers on some girls to break up the waves and on others, she uses a Masion Pearson Brush. "These a beautiful waves that are neither too beach nor too glam. It's pretty in the simplest way," she says. —Karie L. Frost