FASHION Magazine

See how to do the halo braid with our holiday hair tutorial »
See other holiday hair tutorials »

Braid enthusiasts, this one’s for you! The halo braid (otherwise known as a milkmaid braid or braided updo) takes practice but is beyond impressive once it’s mastered. From Erdem to Valentino to Emerson, halo braids keep showing up on the runways season after season, and the red carpet has followed: Keira Knightly, Scarlett Johansson, Ashley Olsen and Elle Fanning have all embraced halo braids. So when it comes to holiday hair (think: New Year’s Eve hair!), this style is certainly a showstopper.

If you’re confident in your French braiding skills this will be an easy holiday hairstyle to master. But newbies, don’t fret! Our step-by-step guide was developed in conjunction with Toronto-based hairstylist Margot Keith and takes all the confusion out of this complicated style. If you dream of doing a halo braid for New Year’s Eve, dedicate one of your lazy holiday afternoons to practicing your braiding skills. After a few test rounds we promise you’ll get the hang of it. And, like all of the styles in our series of holiday hair tutorials, the halo braid works well beyond Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s Eve parties. (So be sure to right-click save our handy one-page guide for future reference!) Ready to start braiding? Read on to see how this holiday hairstyle is done.

Though she has yet to be styled in a fairytale ensemble for an episode of Once Upon A Time, Jennifer Morrison delivered a very medieval-come-modern look on her own at this weekend’s The Muppets movie premiere. The braided style is undoubtedly inspired by Valentino’s Spring 2012 runway, though Morrison’s version is not nearly as complicated. It’s actually unfair for us to position them side-by-side, because it’s hard for anyone, actress or not, to trump the perfect ethereal beauty of the Valentino braid.