Get that look: French pleats

Whether you are feeling romantic or rebellious the rock and roll french pleat is here to please. Titled the year’s new trend and loved by the likes of Giorgio Armani this style can rand from simple ans stylish to outrageous and ostentatious.  If you are struggling to find a hairstyle to wear out to dinner or that amazing party that will go with any outfit, look no further! For many of us finding something that is easy to create but also looks amazing can be done without hours of preparation is a difficult balance to find. This step by step guide will break down a simple version of the gorgeous french pleat style. Get ready to wow.

Prep and separate

This style looks awesome with freshly washed hair so get started by lathering those locks up! brush your hair thoroughly, we don’t want such a high end style looking messy. Separate your hair horizontally, as if you were doing a half up- half down style, and secure your top half. First thing is first lets sort our lower half. The easiest way to get the lower half out of the way is to twist, fold and pin. Twist your hair fold it upwards and pin it in place out of the way.

The Crown

The top section has more of the detail so we need to make sure the bottom half is well out of the way so we can focus on our gorgeous crown. This step involves a lot of backcombing for volume, however if you are worried about the health of your hair add some hair extensions instead of backcombing as much. The easiest way to backcomb hair is to divide into 1 inch rows, working from the back to the front and smoothing each row as you go. The big trend with this style at the moment is to create a deep parting in the first row.

Twist and Grip

Now you have the hard part out of the way it is time to turn your lion’s mane into a glowing crown. Gather the ends of your teased hair and twist them. The aim here is to incorporate your upper half twist with the twisted style we created for your lower half. A good way of doing this is to tuck your upper twist under your lower twist and secure with hair pins. Smooth over your hair by lightly brushing it. There is no room for lumps and bumps in this style. If you have a brush or a comb that has a tail you can also tuck the tail under top layer and gently tug up for extra body. The finish touches are simple but essential. Always use alcohol free hairspray with this style or it will be hard to get out. Once you have sprayed until your heart is content choose a few strands around your ears and that frame your face to loosen. By loosening these strands it gives this classic style a gorgeous modern twist.