From pinned & prim to earthy & undone, the braid is back in a big way. You've probably been seeing the look for awhile now on stars like Lauren Conrad, Nicole Richie & Jessica Alba, but it seems the look has reached a fashionable new frenzy this summer from New York to L.A., as we all try to beat the heat and win the fight against frizz.
At John Barrett's new braid bar at his salon at Bergdorf's NYC, you choose from a menu of celeb-inspired styles for $45 a braid. Add a shampoo for $65 or choose a shampoo and blowout with braid for $120. I can't wait to give it a try! Fishtails, milkmaid braids à la SwissMiss, or multi-braided renaissance-y looks are the most artful ways to get looks straight out of fashion mag editorials. Read on to create the perfect braid yourself at home with my roundup of the best tutorials on the web.
Perhaps the easiest way to create the look on your own is the fishtail. Bergdorf's blog helps you get a handle on the style which is even less intricate then a french braid but more unique and edgy. Try it!
Free People has long reigned as the masters of boho style. Check out three of their ways to get goddess-y summer braids with their Summer Braid How-to, demonstrating a simple side braid, or, try this wilder, more undone braid similar to Blake Lively's shown above. They even show you how to embellish your braid with leather, twine and feathers! So fun! Free People's rainbow braid tutorial is from last year's September catalog, but Lauren Conrad's rainbow-dipped ends are all the rage, so why not kill two hot trends with one smoking hot look with a rainbow braid?!
And we definitely have to give Lauren Conrad props, for no one knows the braid trend better than L.C.! The L.A. fashionista single-handedly set this trend ablaze wearing the braid in so many ways over the years. It has long be one of her signatures. Her awesome new site The Beauty Department recently held its own contest on the perfect braid how-to. Check out the winning tutorial of a pretty braided pony & shop the perfect headpieces to embellish your boho braids or summer's easy undone hair below.
xoxo, The Artful Shopper
