Building on the ‘hangover hair’ of seasons past, the autumn/winter ‘25 season brought bed head galore – offering the frizz-prone among among us a dishevelled look we can replicate without even trying
Rewind to the spring/summer '24 runways, where Miu Miu’s messy ‘do made one thing clear: dirty hair was officially in. Now, as we’ve wrapped the autumn/winter ‘25 season it is safe to say that it isn’t just in – it’s here to stay. Yes, there’s the slicked strands and gelled locks offering those who want to push wash day forward a fashionable alternative. But that’s not the look we’re locking down. What we’re talking about is the frizz-embracing, texture-loving (sometimes) grease-allowing hair styles seen on the very latest runways – be it the post-workout ballet buns at Cecile Bahnsen, the feathery frizz at Chloé, the undone ‘dos at Prada or the slept-in styles at Alexander McQueen.
However, looks can deceive. “It’s not dirty or hungover hair; it’s actually very clean hair that's been dried naturally. It’s the teasing on clean hair that gives it that fluffy silhouette,” says Gary Gill, lead hairstylist at Chloé and Alexander McQueen. “At Chloé, we started with impeccably clean hair, applied a light moisturiser, then air-dried it gently with a diffuser on low heat,” he explains.
Surprisingly, the simplest backstage tool employed this season was a balloon. “It is an old technique, not devised by me, that is used to take a light layer of hair from the surface to give the fluffy texture,” says Gill. “For McQueen, it was the same process, but the hair was tied in a loose ponytail and then pulled apart to de-construct the shape and texture. Then we used a little bit of the balloon-treatment to add a fluffy edge.”
Cecilie Bahnsen AW25. Photo: Vogue Runway
Prada AW25. Photo: Vogue Runway
Alexander McQueen AW25. Photo: Vogue Runway
“Every session hairstylist worth their salt carries balloons for exactly this reason,” quips Cim Mahony, lead hairstylist at Cecilie Bahnsen. “It's ridiculously easy to replicate at home.” Although, for the Cecilie Bahnsen show, Mahony ditched the balloons in favour of Dyson’s Chitosan Post Styling Cream to achieve a deliberately sweaty finish. “There are many ways to approach this messy trend. At Bahnsen, we embraced a post-active aesthetic,” Mahony explains. “Personally, I often rely on luxe leave-in conditioners or styling creams to mimic grease, topped off with a spritz of saltwater spray.”
According to Gill, this trend is most likely a direct response to overly polished celebrity hair. “It’s less considered and over-thought and shows confidence,” he says. Mahony agrees: “Fashion has always flirted with variations of dirty, messy, frizzy hair. Right now I actually think the more sophisticated woman is ready to tackle this trend and move away from ‘mob wife’ glam and other overly obvious styles. Even curls or waves benefit from a bit of grit. It adds a hint of danger and sensuality.”