Is Half-and-Half Hair a Thing?

Every season we look to the runways for inspiration, be it for fashion or beauty looks. And every season we discover an array of try-worthy styles in addition to a plethora of head-scratchers. Well, Spring 2018 has proven no different. In addition to the lob, 90s hair and upgraded ponytails, several designers appeared to be pushing a beauty trend we just don’t know how to feel about: half-and-half hair. Allow us to explain.

It started in New York where Shayne Oliver’s turn for Helmut Lang included ‘dos slicked back on one side of the center part and twisted into front-hanging tendrils on the other; it was almost like two halves of separate updos. The look seemed a quirky one-off from a label known for pushing boundaries — until Phillip Lim’s show, that is. The designer sent out several models with hair swept half up on one side and on the other, tresses tucked behind the ear over a shock of what we can only refer to as side bangs. It was a tale of two hairstyles. And it couldn’t be a coincidence.

Chromat’s Becca McCharen-Tran also appeared to be on board with the multi-hairstyle mash-up thing. She had models sporting face-framing braids in front with high ponytails in back, while at Yohji Yamamoto we spotted hair twisted up on one side with free-falling, wet-looking tresses on the other. At Francesca Liberatore’s show, we were treated to many a mixed-up offering, including pompadour-style updos in front leading flat, straight strands in back. The trend was officially official.

The look wasn’t strictly a New York phenomenon, either. In Milan, Fendi showed sleek low ponytails adorned with short shocks of mermaid-colored fringe on one side, like a jaunty hat. At Véronique Leroy in Paris, hair was swept around in swingy ponytails, leaving half a head of loose tresses behind, as if an updo hadn’t been totally completed. It was hair, interrupted.

Will half-done hair make it off the runways and onto the heads of the rest of the civilian population? That remains to be seen. We’re betting on this trend staying editorial for now, but as the fashion world and the world at large have shown us, best to be ready for anything.

[ Next: 5 Hair Trends We’re Obsessed With From the Spring 2018 Runways ]

Images: Imaxtree