Chanel has blessed us with the chicest hairstyle for day-two hair

11 March 2020

By Fashion Quarterly

Paris Fashion Week – revered by many as the jewel in the crown of international fashion month – has been serving up absolute style goals for the past few days, and the clothes are just the half of it, says Phoebe Watt.

To say nothing of the bold beauty looks that will be inspiring us in the months to come, the hair takeaways were plentiful. But for this beauty editor, whose forever-muse is one Blair Waldorf and who never met a bow she didn’t like, one fashion house stood head and shoulders above the rest for flawlessly encapsulating that quintessential French girl aesthetic, and that was – quelle surprise – Chanel.

Expertly offsetting the autumn/winter 2020 collection’s more-masculine-than-usual vibe, which saw military jackets, tear-away trackpants and slouchy boots made a focal point, the hair created by legendary stylist Sam McKnight (formerly Princess Diana’s go-to guy), was ultra-feminine – think half-up, half-down, wispy at the front, loosely textured at the back and topped off with a velvet bow. AKA, perfection.

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A post shared by Hair By Sam McKnight (@hairbysammcknight) on Mar 3, 2020 at 3:59am PST

So, how to achieve it at home? It couldn’t be easier.

Step one: Rough-dry damp hair, aiming the nozzle under the roots to boost volume at the crown, and in whichever direction will obscure your natural part. Washed your hair yesterday? Even better! Spritz on a bit of sea-salt or volumising spray (plus a thermal protectant please!) and give it another quick blast with your hairdryer as above.

Step two: Using a medium curling iron, curl hair in sections from roots to ends. Don’t worry about being too perfect – we’re not looking for smooth, glossy and uniform Veronica Lake waves here. This step is purely to add volume and texture to straight hair. If you are lucky enough to have natural texture, feel free to give it a miss.

Step three: Spray curls (natural or tong-made) with Sam McKnight’s very own Cool Girl Barely There Texture Mist (available at Mecca, FYI, and smells so divine it basically doubles as a hair fragrance). Gently brush out, using fingers to further separate strands and create those soft, romantic waves we’re after.

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A post shared by Sam McKnight Personal (@sammcknight1) on Mar 3, 2020 at 2:54am PST

Step four: Backcomb hair at the crown to create extra height, spraying with Sam McKnight’s Easy Up-Do Texture Spray and working through with fingers before sweeping a section from above the ears on each side to meet in the middle. Secure with a hair tie or a couple of bobby-pins – whichever works for you.

Step four: Gently pull a few face-framing wisps of hair free around the hairline and ears for that slightly undone effect the French are famous for then give whole head another light misting of texture spray and massage your scalp with your fingers to encourage a few more flyaways, scrunching your lengths for a final bit of oomph.

Step five: Accessorise! A big, black satin bow, a pearl barrette or a Chanel-inspired camellia are what this hair do – described by the creative genius behind it as “an homage to gothic Victoriana” – is crying out for.