New York Fashion Week: Knots a-plenty (in all shapes and sizes!) at the Spring 2015 shows

by Lesa Hannah September 10, 2014

See our favourite knots at New York Fashion Week »

Whether you like them rough, or smooth and clean, knots of all kinds have landed. We first spotted them backstage on Monday at 3.1 Philip Lim where hairstylist Paul Hanlon referenced an old Steven Klein photo for the style he described as “punky.” A whole lot of groundwork was laid down first, with mousse, dry shampoo, back combing and even a crimper before hair was tied up. To ensure it still moved, Hanlon left bits of hair pulled out, creating a cloud of static around models’ faces. “I just liked the ease without it looking like a hairdo,” he said.

Later, at Zero + Maria Cornejo, James Pecis was working with key words from the designer that included naive and summery. In terms of hair, that meant “fresh kid hair that moved.” Blow-dried to feel soft and airy, hair was parted at the side and left down while four sections were brought together at the back to create a tiny square knot that was actually stitched together with a needle and elastic thread.

Hanlon was also sewing over at Rag & Bone, where he used elastic thread to create low billowy knots.”The hair is so flat and clean that when you tie it, it just starts to droop and it looks like its about to fall out.” But the most extreme knots showed up on Tuesday at Marc by Marc Jacobs. Inspired by the 80s rave scene, Guido Palau created a mohawk effect with four rough knots down the centre of the head with little tufts left out, including one on the forehead to keep it from looking too severe. Random bits were roughed up so that it felt like the kind of mistakes that come from youthful DIY. “We wanted the girls to look tough but still have that Marc kind of feeling, that kind of innocence and cuteness about it,” said Palau.