Anyone who’s been paying attention to the catwalk over the past few years can tell you that hair accessories have been dominating beauty trends for season after season (season after season). And if the fall 2021 couture shows are any indication, the phenomenon isn’t going away anytime soon. In fact, the latest runways in Paris indicate that hair accessories – namely pretty, dramatic bows – are only getting bigger and more colorful.
To accompany Virginie Viard’s Fall 2021 Haute Couture collection for Chanel, hairstylist Damien Boissinot created punk-y reverse French braids that read as wig, but are effective. The effect is almost like a puffy hairstyle when viewed from the front. Then he added oversized black bows, sometimes stacking two on top of each other. For some models, the ribbons extend significantly down their backs, creating an almost train-like effect as they travel down the runway.
Bows are also an integral part of the beauty of the Giambattista Valli Couture show, where two different hairstyles are attached to the jewelry. Hairstylist Odile Gilbert provided about half of the bows (yes, as in Lady Gaga’s signature circa 2010) paired with short, cheekbones cut for striking effect. ; the rest of them wore towering, massive braids tied on either side with ribbon bows.
Keeping up with this trend, models at Yanina Couture sported their hair in a high, exaggerated bun, each accented with a few black ribbon bows. The collection itself was inspired by “Marie Antoinette’s provocative, mystical glamor,” and the increasing embellishment of multiple headbands certainly contributed to that effect.
