NYFW Hair Trends: Childlike Whimsy Takes Charge

And just like that…another New York Fashion Week has almost come and gone. It’s safe to say that the SS 2025 NYFW season was as busy as we’d hoped and expected. While the fashion shows displayed spring and summer trends, there was also no shortage of beauty inspiration.

Throughout the hustle and bustle of NYFW, I had the opportunity to pop backstage at some runway shows to get the inside scoop on runway beauty. Childlike whimsy took charge at NYFW, with ballerina buns, flowers and even fairy-inspired looks. Ahead are the biggest NYFW hair trends we spotted and the inside tips on how to get the look yourself.

The Biggest Hair Trends at NYFW

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Ballerina Buns + Oversized Scrunchies

Ballerina buns were the main focus at Alice + Olivia’s SS 2024 runway show. The ballerina buns promoted a light, youthful and playful air in several eye-catching styles. One such style featured a prim and proper, slicked-back ballet bun with an over-the-top scrunchie. The style simply screamed elevated middle school core in the best way.

To get the look, the official hair sponsor for Alice + Olivia’s SS24 show, Sola Salons, used Briogeo’s Full Miracle Styling Foam ($26) to prep the hair, followed by the brand’s Lightwork Sculpting Crème ($26) and Sleek Stick ($23) for that perfect ballerina bun.

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Natural Texture Buns + Floral Details

I know what you’re thinking, “florals for spring, groundbreaking.” But, another one of Alice + Olivia’s SS24 styles—the floral bun—puts a whole new spin on floral accents in hair. As lead hairstylist Matthew Curtis told us backstage, highlighting the models’ natural texture was key to this ethereal bun look. This added to the playful energy of the beauty look as a whole.

To prep and define the models with textured hair, the Sola Salons experts again used Briogeo’s styling foam, followed by the Soft Powder Air Dry Cream ($26) to let the models’ authentic curl patterns shine. To finish the look, the stylists added Dutch braids and floral appliqués for a garden-fresh style.

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Fairy Dusted Waves

“Fairy dusted waves” are one of the most iconic show and beauty looks from this year’s NYFW. The look was created by celebrity stylist Lacy Redway. She used TRESemmé for the Christian Siriano show, and the look was the dark fairy vibe of our dreams.

“We were inspired to create a light and ethereal look which pairs beautifully with the ‘dark fairy’ aesthetic of Christian’s collection,” Redway says. “The TRESemmé Extra Hold Mousse ($7) and Mega Control Gel ($7) are truly the stars of this look, setting the waves in place beautifully.”

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’70s “Tousled Tresses”

While it may be less on the side of childlike wonder, the free-spirited nature of adolescence is clear in this next style. The ‘70s-inspired “tousled tresses” was created for SIMKHAI by celebrity stylist Holli Smith. “Leaning into ’70’s archetypes, we went for an untouched Brigitte Bardot vibe to get an effortless style,” says Smith. “And the TRESemmé Extra Hold Mousse ($7) was key to highlighting the texture in the hair.”

In terms of tools, the hair team at SIMKHAI used the Shark Beauty SpeedStyle ProFlex ($230) on gentle heat with the DeFrizzFast diffuser about 6 inches from the head to create hold without crunch, and maintain that iconic, loose ’70s shape.

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Lived-In Buns

The hair for the 3.1 Phillip Lim show was a departure from the sleek, picturesque buns seen on the Alice + Olivia runway. Benjamin Muller used a Dyson hairdryer to create the lived-in bun look. Muller told us backstage that the inspiration for this look is that quintessential, NYC cool girl. “This is not Milan, it’s New York,” he said, “We wanted to do something cool and fresh.”

To create the look, Muller prepped the freshly cleaned, wet hair with Dyson’s Supersonic r Professional Hair Dryer ($570) before going in with the brand’s Corrale ($500) to create a sleek base. The key to creating this lived-in style is quite meticulous, as Muller hand pulled strands around the nape of the neck and around the ears once slicked back to make the style perfectly messy.