Do You 'Hunger' For a Braid?

Hollywood Believes That You Should

With the recent release of the film Snow White and the Huntsman, it seems that braids are here to stay. Charlize Theron, who sizzles as the evil queen, wears a crest of braids underneath her royal crown.

You may remember that the braided hairstyle made its Hollywood debut as worn in The Hunger Games by lead actress Jennifer Lawrence (who plays Katniss Everdeen). Even before Hollywood caught on to this growing trend, braids were emerging on the runway at fashion shows across the country. If you think this sounds familiar, it might be because we blogged about braids at Jacksonville Fashion Week last April. (For a how-to refresher on fish tail braids, visit my blog on Fashion Week here.) All women — both good and evil – are starting to follow this trend as it blazes its own trail on the red carpet at awards shows and Hollywood events.

This doesn’t come as a surprise to those of us in the styling business. The same stylists who coif the stars for big movie roles also style celebrity hair for events and parties. It’s not uncommon to see the latest trending big screen styles are often worn by celebrities in real life. The movie studios will even ask for this so that the real-life celebrity styles will subliminally advertise the movies that inspired the looks. The studios know that in promoting fashion trends from their films, they can promote the films themselves. In the meantime, stylists and salon owners like me see these trends reflected in the styles that our guests ask for.

Over the years we’ve seen film and TV spark lots of trends. Back in the 1990s, the NBC sitcom Friends (starring a young Jennifer Aniston) influenced women’s hair trends with Aniston’s bouncy, square-layered hairstyle to such an extent that it became known as “The Rachel.”

Braids can easily fit into your current style. After Jacksonville Fashion Week I focused on the fishtail, but there are lots of types of braids — french braid, dutch, chains and more – that you can incorporate into your look. A braid can even be a simple heat-friendly way to keep your hair out of your face this summer.

As wedding season is underway, we are seeing that braids are still a huge bridal hair trend. Many brides have requested long, ornate braids worked into their formal style to create a unique and spectacular look for their special day. If you have a wedding coming up, then maybe you want to come see me at the upcoming Florida Signature Bridal Affair on Sunday, July 1, 2012 from 12:00pm – 4:00pm at the Hyatt Regency Tampa, Two Tampa City Center in Tampa. I’ll be giving a talk with a short demo there so you can see how to achieve these glamorous braided looks for your own wedding. After all, these looks aren’t just for when you’re an evil queen hell-bent on revenge or caught in a game of death that stands between you and your next meal. These looks have been created and promoted by the biggest celebrities on the red carpet. Imagine how they can make you look walking down the aisle.

Yours in Style,

Darren