Deep Question: Would You Wear Willie Nelson Braids?

Mara Hoffman’s spring 2016 collection called for a decidedly American (at least in spirit) beauty look: The hair emulated the super-long, braided locks of the one and only Willie Nelson. “Mara’s inspiration was ’70s Americana,” says Label.M international artistic director Richard Mannah, the man responsible for the Nelson-like plaits models wore for the show. “We tried a few different braids, but Mara wanted it really simple and stripped back. It’s close to something Willie would do!”

How to get Willie’s signature style? Mannah prepped models’ hair—and 30 inches of extensions (because apparently not even models’ hair can compare with Willie’s)—with Label.M Volume Mousse to add grip before blow-drying it straight. He then created a center part and separated each side into three sections—making a basic three-strand braid and weaving in the extensions for the longest pigtails ever. (The key to this look is to make the braids super clean. To tame any flyaways, Mannah applied the Label.M Wax Stick to errant strands as he made his way down). And that was it. “It’s very easy to re-create this at home,” Mannah says.

True to form, each look was finished off with a bandana—but with a Fashion Week upgrade. As opposed to Nelson’s signature red, the fabric matched each model’s outfit. Genius.