beauty : herringbone braid

Braids have been a growing trend in beauty in the past season or two, first with crown braids or a single plait down the back, and now the complicated-but-easy herringbone braid is making a comeback. Stars like Leona Lewis, Blake Lively, and Diane Kruger have been updating the trend by making it messy - instead of satisfying a braid's stereotype of being uptight and clean, they tease the hair before braiding and pull out little pieces to make it look a little "undone". The result looks effortlessly cool.

The Dior Fall RTW 2010 show updated the look a bit by teasing the upper part of the hair for an extreme undone version.

To do the "new" herringbone braid (or fishtail braid), this works best done at the side of the head. Section your hair into two parts, and take a small pinch of hair from the outside of the first section, and bring it over to join the other section. Then, repeat - with the other section, take a pinch of hair and bring it over to join the first section. You are basically swapping the outside parts of the two segments, so they can make the cool criss-cross shape down the middle of the braid. For a photo tutorial, look here.

So why is this look so cool? The effect is soft and romantic, especially with sweeping, loose bangs and a slightly messy plait. It is a fresh way to wear your hair in a very traditional style. It also works on a variety of hair lengths (and thin hair, too - my normally thin braid actually improves in this style because I can pull it apart and tease it).