Whether dressed up or down, buns shed their matronly guise thanks to some clever manipulation.
Buns can be a mystery. Are they matronly? Sexy? Somewhere in between? In a day and age where flowing tresses top the hairstyle-most-requested chart, where does the bun fit in? Bumble and bumble stylist Michelle Fiona says, “Just like long, tousled hair can be sexy, so can a messy chignon. The style this season is more bedroom than black tie—far from the tight, sleek ballerina look and much more seductive.”
On the fall/winter runways, buns unfurled in many forms: tightly wound in perfect symmetry, loosely knotted with runaway wisps, and pinned and tucked into chaotic beauty. As Fiona suggested, the key to keeping the style fresh is to maintain a balance of tight and loose. She says, “If you work too hard on this style, it won’t look modern. Simply scoop it high on the head, twist it loosely and pin it.”
For Vera Wang, hairstylist Orlando Pita manipulated a structured chignon by randomly tucking in bobby pins to rework the look. At Christian Lacroix, tangles of ribbons, jewels and arcs of hair upstaged the demi-couture fashions they were paired with. And the everyday woman played muse to many a runway—Pringle of Scotland, Fendi, Proenza Schouler and MaxMara among others—where hairstylists flipped and looped hair into messy knots reminiscent of the quick tuck-and-roll that busy ladies do when on the go. One thing about buns is for sure: Like a mystery novel, this season’s knots feature several twists and turns—and all with a to-die-for ending.
