Tousled and Timeless – Effortless Braids at JML Couture

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Braids are it for bridal. The versatile style mirrors the intricacies of dress detailing, creates texture and is also malleable—they can be styled however you want. At JLM Couture, Linh Nguyen, Lead Stylist for amika, customizes each girl’s braided look not for their dress, but for them. “If you see some of the girls with their hair back, it’s because their face looks better with the hair back,” he explains simply. “The great thing about JLM Couture is that they care about what each girl looks like individually, and what looks best for them.” This translates to the runway, which is not one-size-fits-all, but rather conforms to the best look for each girl. “Making the model look beautiful is key,” he adds.

Nguyen creates “effortless” customized looks that are anything but fussy. He begins by liberally applying the amika Heat Defense Serum, before drying with amika The Immortal Power-Life Dryer. Next, he works in amika The Perfect Body Whipped Mousse for added volume. To get an even fuller feel, he mists from root to end using amika Touchable Hairspray, curling with the amika 25mm Curler and purposely stretching out curls to get an enviable relaxed wave. Nguyen completes the look with amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo.

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With some braids in and some out, this ‘70s inspired, touchable style easily translates from the runway to real-life—because what do brides want if not choice? Nguyen talks us through a typical wedding scenario. “It’s a look where a bride would have her hair down, and at the end of the night she can braid it into her hair. Or, if she gets hot while she’s dancing she can just pin it up herself,” he maps out. It’s all about accessibility, wear-ability and being modern and fresh. “The days of putting muffins and croissants in your hair are over,” he cautions. Nguyen speaks for all of us when he says that with bridal especially, you want to create hair that will live on past the wedding day. “The secret to having a beautiful photo is a soft, classic look—these things won’t go out of style,” he says, adding, “Timelessness is the essence to true beauty.” 

[Images by Yuriy Semenyuk and courtesy of Amika]

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