Hair as lustrous as a raven’s wing has been the dominant aesthetic of late. But coming in strong right now are indie sleaze waves—a.k.a. the complete antithesis to a fresh, bouncy blowout.
So rather than channel our inner J-Lo, we’re looking to Kate Moss and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen circa 2006 for our hair inspiration. And it’s a vibe we’re 100% on board with.
Randall Michelson
It’s fair to say that ever since the pandemic lockdowns there’s been a move to embrace our hair’s natural texture and take a more laissez-faire approach to styling. Hence the popularity of wash ‘n go haircuts like the cub cut that require a blast of volumizing spray and little else.
Indie sleaze waves certainly scratch that itch for something altogether less polished. And it’s a trend that’s even managed to infiltrate Paris Fashion Week and that most institutionalized of glamorous events, the 2023 Oscars, as Olivia Wilde and Nicole Kidman rewrote the rules for red carpet hair, opting for effortlessly cool waves and a puffy bedhead crown rather than sleek Old Hollywood ringlets.
“The only difference is that in 2006 we were actually living the indie sleaze moment,” says Michael Lendon, Aveda’s senior creative director. “We genuinely didn’t really care too much about our hair and so the look became the trend naturally. It phased out around the time of Instagram being launched, when we started to want more polish and style.
“But now we are starting to see the perfect blow dry and sleek snatched pony being phased out,” he continues. “It won’t happen overnight, but, as ever, we crave the opposite for our hairstyle after a period of over saturation.”
Stephane Cardinale – Corbis
