Braids Are Getting Way (Way!) Edgier This Fall

Hairstyles don’t get much more good-girl than braids. They can be sweet and Lauren Conrad-like, earthy and bohemian, loose and romantic, or even ’90s-cool (box braids). But not usually edgy. Until now. We’ve seen a big shift when it comes to plaits this season. Suddenly, braids have become seriously badass.

Gorgeous Orange Is the New Black star Ruby Rose hosted Sunday night’s MTV European VMAs with her short hair woven into braids that felt rebellious, not girly.

Singer Charli XCX (who’s been experimenting with some darker beauty vibes lately) was also in the house, wearing her own play on bad-girl braids—skinny front pigtails made to look a little ratty.

Model/It Girl Bella Hadid helped launch the braids-gone-bad trend in early September when she stepped out with fierce, super-tight French-braid pigtails.

Busy Philipps has been working some punk-rock blue-dipped pigtails this fall.

And Janelle Monae owned Paris Fashion Week from the moment she showed up at Stella McCartney with these big, bad pigtails.

Cornrows are another popular play. They made Cara Delevingne’s high pony feel cutting-edge at last month’s Pan premiere.

And they toughened up Jennifer Lopez’s hair for the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Festival. Those sculpted baby hairs on her forehead also helped.

Side braids that hint at a mohawk are another twist. Example: the ones model Lydia Hearst wore a couple weeks ago.

Even Hollywood’s most quintessential nice girl, Reese Witherspoon, just had an edgy braid moment, with a similar one-sided plait. (Check it out from the side too.)

Hopefully the romantic braids you’ve been collecting on Pinterest won’t be scared when you add these bad boys to your board. Because they’re definitely worth trying this season.

Plus:

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