If someone approached you, asking your opinions on fashion being inspired by a hairstyle, your immediate thoughts would jump straight to “hairy”, “uncomfortable”, and just downright weird. However, this season, every catwalk and every designer has been taking a dip into the “ombré” trend. (See what I did there?)
What’s ombré you ask? Commonly referred to as the dip-dye look, the hairstyle has been sported by Drew Barrymore, Rachel Bilson, Lauren Conrad and so on. Generally, the ends of the hair is dyed a lighter shade than the original colour, giving a balayage effect.
The hairstyle first took off two years ago, yet has been consistently in the media since then. Yet, this season, the trend was taken to an entire new level, when it was introduced to the catwalks. High-street brands, such as Topshop and River Island, hopped on the bandwagon and incorporated the look into their autumn/winter lines. Lately, we’ve been seeing ombré in every fashion magazine, every high street (Penneys, too, has caught on) and on every Tom, Dick and Harry too!
But just as we were beginning to worry about it becoming overdone, designers stepped it up a notch, bringing the trend into new places. From woolly knits and chunky cardigans, to glitzy dresses and old-style Hollywood maxis, it has even spread as far as ombré nail art.
While it does touch a teeny, tiny bit on the 60s tie-dye era, it’s more clean-cut and refined. I think the most fascinating aspect of it is that this one trend has opened a new genre of style: Modern Grunge. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the stereotypical Nirvana t-shirt wearing style. It’s a polished grunge, a clean and cool laidback, which epitomises effortless and coolness.
Who would have thought that a hair-dye malfunction could be the muse for not just a trend, but an entire style revolution?
