The ‘tumbled tail

Hair how to: the faux fish plait.

Even from the vantage point of a front-row seat, this hairstyle on the runway looked like something it was not. Giving off the impression of being a complex fishtail braid, it turned out to actually be two simple twists, stitched together. Lived in, cool, tumbled and coiled, it's surprisingly simple to create. After the break, find out how to recreate the style in 5 easy steps.

 

Written by Tania Braukämper

Even from the vantage point of a front-row seat, the hairstyle at LMFF (Melbourne fashion festival) L’Oreal Paris Runway 3 looked like something it was not. I would have called it a fish plait (and potentially written it off as something too bothersome to master) but as the L’Oreal hair team later revealed it was a deceptive style indeed: it was actually two twists, stitched together.
Find out how to recreate the style after the break, and add it to your 2012 hairstyle repertoire.

The ‘tumbled tail’ hairstyle

Created by L’Oréal Professionnel Hair Director Brad Ngata, the ‘tumbled tail’ gives off the vibe of being lived in; a ‘next day’ hairstyle with a diffusion of vintage and youth. Brad explains: “There was so much fun in creating this cool dirty look. When I say ‘dirty’, it’s a tumbled and coiled finish, really relaxed and achievable. I wanted the hair to feel vintage and soft but also youthful.”

How to create the tumbled faux fishtail

Start with unwashed hair for maximum texture. Saturate the hair with a sea-salt or texturising spray. The L’Oreal team used L’Oreal Play Ball Beach Fizz. 

 

Middle part the hair and divide it into two sections. Coil each half inwards until tight.

Spray each coil with a firm-hold hairspray (backstage L’Oreal Tecni Air Fix was used) and & blast with heat to set it. 

 

Stitch both coils together with thread to create the plaited effect. Tie off at the end. 

 

Tousle and mess up the hairstyle by pulling pieces of hair out around the face and tail. Finish with a spray of hairspray to hold it all in place.

For other tutorials of hairstyles to try in 2012 follow that link.

Our thanks to L’Oreal for sharing their hair tips.