Plait

Combine Two of Summer's Hottest Styles à la Katie Holmes
Bella

Combine Two of Summer's Hottest Styles à la Katie Holmes

Can't choose between a bun and a plait?
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Can't choose between a bun and a plait? Katie Holmes couldn't seem to either at last night's Coach party on the High Line in New York, so she combined the two. Her hybrid style, which she adorned with two twists on either side of her head, is the perfect casual Summer style. And it's surprisingly easy to re-create at home with second-day hair.

  1. Start by misting your hands down with a hold hair spray, like L'Oréal Elnett Satin Strong Hold Spray (£6.60), for extra grip. Then, twist a two-inch section above each ear toward the back of your head. Secure with bobby pins.
  2. Pull your hair into a ponytail at the middle of the back of your head, making sure to include the twisted sections. Secure with an elastic
  3. Braid your hair into two neat plaits, securing the ends with elastics. Wind each braid around the base of the ponytail, one at a time, and pin against your head. The bun shouldn't lay flat against your scalp.
  4. Finish with another mist of hair spray, and you're set!
Celebrity Braided Hairstyles
Wedding

Celebrity Plaits That Are Perfect For a Wedding

Whether you're a guest, bridesmaid, or even the bride, weddings are a perfect time to add a plait into your dressed-up style.
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Whether you're a guest, bridesmaid, or even the bride, weddings are a perfect time to add a plait into your dressed-up style. They can add a touch of romance or bohemian coolness to your look, and there are a variety of ways to incorporate woven strands into your style. Click through to see how the following stars plaited their coifs to perfection.

Jennifer Lawrence Jennifer Lawrence Amanda Seyfried Emmy Rossum Emmy Rossum Bella Thorne Bella Thorne
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4 Easy Steps to This Gorgeous Cascading Plait
Bella

4 Easy Steps to This Gorgeous Cascading Plait

If you're tired of side plaits or even wraparound milkmaid braids, here's something you'll want to try instead: the cascading plait.
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If you're tired of side plaits or even wraparound milkmaid braids, here's something you'll want to try instead: the cascading plait. It's part French plait, part regular plait, and part waterfall, but 100 percent impressive. And best of all, it's rather easy to do. Just start by spritzing the hair with a working spray to add texture and hold; Kristy White of Festoon Salon in San Francisco (the hairstylist responsible for creating this gorgeous plait) recommends Oribe Superfine (£16.50). To see close-up pictures, along with step-by-step instructions on getting the look, just keep reading for more.

Victoria Beckham's Baggy Braid
Victoria Beckham

How to Get Victoria Beckham's Baggy Braid

Victoria Beckham shared a shot of her "baggy braid in Beijing" on Twitter this morning, and it's got me reaching for my styling products to replicate the style myself.
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Victoria Beckham shared a shot of her "baggy braid in Beijing" on Twitter this morning, and it's got me reaching for my styling products to replicate the style myself. The side-swept, low-slung plait is reminiscent of the Rapunzel braid so many celebs sported last Autumn, and the style has been a massive hit again this Spring thanks in part to Katniss' iconic Hunger Games braid. Victoria has jumped on the messy braids trend that was big on the A/W '12 catwalks in February, and the dishevelled look is easy to recreate yourself thanks to its unstructured style. Get the step-by-step instructions when you read more

How to Create a Half Milk-Maid Plait at Home
Trend Alert

Trend Alert: The Parted Milk-Maid Plait

It's always fun to see a new hair trend on the red carpet.
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It's always fun to see a new hair trend on the red carpet. In the past couple of days, we've spotted Stacy Keibler in London at the UK premiere of The Descendants, Paris Hilton in Germany, and Rachel Zoe in Hollywood all wearing a parted milk-maid plait. This hairstyle is easy enough to achieve at home on your own, and, as we see, it can be as messy or constructed as you like. Simply part your hair on the side, pull half of it off of your face with a clip, and braid the other side around your crown. Secure the plait by crisscrossing bobby pins and then pull the remainder of the hair back into a ponytail or bun. Finish with a mist of light-hold hairspray all over. Shop what you'll need below!

Goody® ColourCollectionTM Mini Bobby Pins Black 26 Pack Goody® ColourCollectionTM Ouchless® Elastics Brunette 10 Pack Fekkai Advanced Sheer Hold Hairspray Goody® ColourCollectionTM Ouchless® Elastics Blonde 10 Pack Goody® ColourCollectionTM Bobby Pins with StayPut HoldTM Blonde 48 Pack
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Hot Hairstyles For Fall
Trend Alert

Trend Alert: The Rapunzel Braid

This has been a banner weekend for the long, fairy-tale like Rapunzel braid.
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This has been a banner weekend for the long, fairy-tale like Rapunzel braid. This side-swept, low-slung plait looked stylish in the front row at Milan Fashion week on Lindsay Lohan whilst Nicola Roberts rocked an ultralong style at G-A-Y in Soho. Lastly, we spotted a pregnant Beyoncé at the launch of her new fragrance Pulse in New York City wearing a side plait, too. Who do you think wore it best out of these three lovely ladies?

Ways to Wear The Summer Side Plait
Trend Alert

5 Ways to Wear the Summer Side Plait

Plaits have always been in fashion, but this season, the low-slung style is the most popular look we've seen on celebrities like Blake Lively, Ali Larter, Taylor Momsen, Jessica Szohr and Bianca Brandolini.
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Ways to Wear The Summer Side Plait

Plaits have always been in fashion, but this season, the low-slung style is the most popular look we've seen on celebrities like Blake Lively, Ali Larter, Taylor Momsen, Jessica Szohr and Bianca Brandolini. Plaits are an easy fix to fight frizz, bad hair days, and the heat of the Summer sun by keeping your hair out of your face and off of your neck. Take a peek at five different ways to wear the low-slung plait here!

Fishtail Taylor Momsen Ali Larter Bianca Brandolini Blake Lively
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5 Ways to Wear Headband Braids (Even If Your Hair Is Short)
Diane Kruger

5 Ways to Wear the Uberpopular Headband Braid

Pretty but utilitarian headband braids were all over the Fashion Week runways, and they've been the rage among celebrities for months now.
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5 Ways to Wear Headband Braids (Even If Your Hair Is Short)

Pretty but utilitarian headband braids were all over the Fashion Week runways, and they've been the rage among celebrities for months now. But although they might seem like a limited, one-size-fits-all kind of style, there are actually lots of ways to wear the look. Whether you have short or long hair, fine or thick, there's a headband braid that will work for you.

The Way-Back Braid The Baby Braids The Big Braid The Double Braid The Center Part Braid
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Erdem 2011 AW Fashion Show
Bella

Tousled Tails and Tragic Makeup at Erdem

The clothing at Erdem was fun and elegant in bright prints with sexy cutouts and sinful shapes.
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The clothing at Erdem was fun and elegant in bright prints with sexy cutouts and sinful shapes. I sat across from Jo Wood and Janice Dickinson, so the entertainment wasn't too bad either! Backstage, however was a bit more chaotic. Andrew Gallimore, who headed up the makeup team for MAC, told me the inspiration for this look was "an artists wife that left him or had been through something tragic. Gowns appear to be slept in or look like they've gotten paint spilled on them, so we went for a strong eye, but not strong lines." MAC's BlackTrack Fluidline was mixed with Waveline Fluidline and applied to the lower part of the lid. Then, Feline Eyeliner was used around the edges and then smudged. Skin was clean and sheer with just a bit of Strobe Cream to create a light sculpting effect. Lastly, lips were muted using the new Viva Glam Gaga II to take out the colour, but not make them look dry.

Marc Tinder, Creative Manager for Charles Worthington described the hairstyle to complement this mess of woman could best be described as "Tousled Tails, meaning, a messy but contained fishtail plait, so it was grown up, but not too pretty." He uses Dry Shampoo to absorb the oils and then some Front Row Forever Lasting Hairspray on the ends. Watch a fun video of Ivan (one of Marc's teammates) creating a fishtail plait below!

Tess Daly, Liz McClarnon, Sara Cox Hair at the 2011 Brit Awards
Poll

Whose Plaits Do You Prefer at The Brit Awards?

It looks like the plait trend isn't going away anytime soon, only now, the redc arpet seems to be a mish-mosh of styles.
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It looks like the plait trend isn't going away anytime soon, only now, the redc arpet seems to be a mish-mosh of styles. WE saw some funky plaits at the 2011 BAFTA's on Sunday and now at the Brits, we see Tess Daly rocking an Alice band looking one, Liz McClarnon sporting a low-slung plait and DJ Coxy rocking a single plait with fringe. Out of these three lovely ladies, whose plait style do you prefer?

If you're just checking in now, be sure and vote on all of our polls from the Brit Awards here.