Messy hair is the new fall 2023 trend.

Tousled hair: “I wonder, I finally achieved this elusive “je ne sais quoi” fall-winter 2023 hair trend

If I’m going to add a touch of chaos to my flawless hair, I have to thank Miuccia Prada. Last March, on the catwalk of the Miu Miu fall-winter 2023-2024 collection, the Italian designer sent models whose tousled curls – with fluttering tufts, as if held by static electricity – aroused no less delight than their rhinestone-encrusted panties. The fact that these “tousled” strands rose above the hairstyles, in which not a single hair looked out of place, emphasized this “sloppy” note even more. In particular, the tuft of actress Emma Corrin could be found an analogy, perhaps, only in the tuft of Alfalfa, one of the characters in the film. Little rascals. Tellingly, it went viral immediately after the show closed.

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An invitation to let yourself (a little) go away

“One strand that stands out is really cool,” says hair historian Rachel Gibson, noting that not brushing has its roots in the counterculture of the 1960s. Prior to this, she notes, any kind of disorder above the neck was considered “a sign that something is wrong in your life,” which could have very serious, even fatal consequences. A well-known 19th-century case survives in which one Simon Antonio Retama stabbed his wife to death after she returned home with what he thought was post-coital hair. Today, however, in a hodgepodge of style trends, Miu Miu’s “managed chaos” was a welcome invitation to let go (a little).

Mess, but not only

“We all strive for perfection, but sometimes it’s in the presence of error that the magic happens,” stylist Guido Palau told me backstage at the show. But it’s not just the tousled hair, the creative notes. Gathering the models’ smoothed, blow-dried hair into sleek ponytails, Palau ran an inflated balloon over the tops of their heads to create a static cling effect, which he then sealed with Elnett Satin Extra Strong Hold hairspray. L’Oreal Paris. In other words, simply letting your hair fall to the elements is not enough to achieve this seemingly glib style.

“For many years I have been talking about how to tame naughty length. Now I’m trying to create them,” says celebrity hairstylist Mark Townsend, who notices how his Hollywood clients – Dakota Johnson, Aubrey Plaza, Rachel Weisz – are increasingly asking him for skillfully tousled curls. “When hair is overstyled, there is a risk that it will lose its true personality,” she adds.

The inaccessible carelessness of French women

I ditched blow-drying for air-drying years ago, and yet for special occasions I still love Caroline Bessette-Kennedy’s sleek, clean styling. According to hair stylist David Mallett, French women cringe at such a far-fetched hairstyle. “In these parts, girls say that hair should breathe, as well as the person who wears it,” explains Mallett, whose Parisian salon, located in the second arrondissement, Rebecca Dayan, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Léa Seydoux regularly visit the day before going out . kit. After all, Mallett adds, “negligence is the epitome of French beauty.”

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Bold, but to what extent?

I wouldn’t mind a touch of that “just the way you are” chic, and what better way to do that, I tell myself, than the annual Chanel Artists’ Dinner during the Tribeca Film Festival? Yes, but how far am I willing to go in matters of disorder? It’s been nearly two decades since I took Mary-Kate Olsen’s lead as a teenager and went two weeks without combing my hair, only giving in when my mother threatened to give her a full haircut. However, as The Row’s co-founder has demonstrated in recent years, a subtle hint of disorder can add intrigue to an image, especially when that note of chaos is paired with her brand’s exquisitely tailored pieces. “It’s interesting to see how slightly disheveled things are worn with traditionally elegant clothes,” Palau notes. However, when my Uber pulls up to the New York dinner venue, my hair is as flawless as the Khaite silk georgette slip dress I pulled out of my suitcase before I hit the road. Afraid not to pass by the velvet cordon at the entrance, I decided to arrive without a single superfluous hairstyle.

But once inside, I tie my hair back and, as a finishing touch, with an “incomplete” effect, run my fingers through the roots, moving them from back to front. The result, romantically tousled and surprisingly sophisticated, gives my all-black ensemble a very special touch. Who knows if I’ve finally achieved that elusive “je ne sais quoi”, I wonder.

Secret: pretend you don’t care

The next day, I tested my hair (and newfound virility) at a lunch meeting at La Grenouille. When I arrive at the elegant Upper East Side establishment where Dida Blair once dined with her trademark bouffant hairdo, the head waiter escorts me to a table in the center of the room without batting an eyelid. Among the impeccable manes of the ladies present, a tuft of hair hovering above my head definitely stands out. However, in order not to be embarrassed, it is enough for me to recall the encouraging words of Palau: “You must pretend that you do not care, even if it is so.”

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This article was originally published on American Vogue.