The Boyfriend Jean Of Braids

When the Suno girl walked down the runway — Lego-like, multicolored platform shoes; seersucker; asymmetrical hem — she seemed like a familiar creature. The brand, well-known for its colorful riffs on boyish motifs, has long favored a polished, clean beauty: the kind that takes hours in the makeup chair to look like nothing's been done.

But then, after your eye worked its way up the boxy silhouettes and clever peekaboo details, you noticed — in fact, marveled at — a gorgeous, gigantic braid.

“We wanted the front to be classically handsome, almost like Cary Grant,” explained hairstylist Odile Gilbert. “So, we did a deep side parting with a comb, and then, added a '50s high shine with a strong-hold gel. After, we sprayed all over with Kérastase Gloss Appeal, a shine spray, so the light would bounce off of it.” But, that was only the start.

In the back, Gilbert put an end to the boyish influences. “That glossy, firm texture is only on the top of the head,” she said. “In the back, there’s a big, pulled-apart fishtail, but it’s meant to feel super dry. Before we braid, we spray the hair all over with Kérastase Laque Noire, which is a firm-hold product that adds grit." After creating the plait, the stylists traced it with a blowdryer at a low, cool setting to tame any flyaways.

Dual-textured hair is becoming a ubiquitous trend this season, seen everywhere from Alexander Wang to Prabal Gurung. But Gilbert's approach is unique in that it plays with both masculine and feminine elements: It's the hair equivalent of elevating a pair of slouchy boyfriend jeans with heels. The front may be decidedly Don Draper, but the back is the braid you learned to do on your best friend at a middle-school slumber party.