This Trick Actually Makes Pigtails Look Cool

For a simple hairstyle, pigtails carry with them a heavy load of associations—Lolita, Pippi Longstockings, Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, Harajuku girls from Japan—and most of them more cute than chic. At Marni, however, hairstylist Paul Hanlon added an interesting twist (literally) that took the style out of grade school and into high fashion.

"We usually play with a lot of crazy textures for this show, but the collection this season is very graphic and architectural so the hair needed to be more precise," said Hanlon, who looked at both Argentinian gaucho hairstyles and Henri Mattise paintings, specifically the artist's linear, undulating brushstrokes when he sketched or painted hair.

From the front, the style looked just like regular old pigtails (and you were probably focused on the long, wispy fake lashes applied by makeup artist Tom Pecheux). But as the models exited the runway it was an entirely different story. Hanlon divided the hair into three sections—the two pigtails and a small triangle of hair at the nape of the neck that he clipped up out of the way. After flat-ironing the hair straight and creating his pigtails, Hanlon unclipped the third section. He's split that piece of hair in half, following the part already in place (middle or side, depending on the model's face shape), and wrapped the right side over the right pigtail and the left side over the left pigtails, securing them in place with a couple U-shaped pins. Hanlon described the little detail in the back several different ways (as a roll, a twist, and even a fold) but whatever you decide to call it, I think we can all agree these pigtails are supercool—and all grown up.