Actor Dakota Johnson may have been on the set of her forthcoming film Materialists when she was snapped in New York this week, but we couldn’t not applaud that effortless plait. Enough to make us briefly stop talking about the bob—AKA the cut of the season—Johnson’s braid is a lesson in how to keep cool in the city when the temperature rises.
Loosely pulled together, this undone style is the polar opposite of the Kournikova braids we’ve seen recently on stars such as Zendaya. The key is in the positioning at the low point on the head, where the braid starts. “This informs the way the rest of the hair falls and gives the style this undone feel,” explains hairstylist Adam Reed. “Johnson’s soft, curtain fringe also gives it a relaxed feel and perfectly frames the rest of her face, which is nice when you’re wearing your hair back.”
Reed explains that loose braids like Dakota’s (we saw similar on Meghan Markle on her visit to Nigeria recently, too) requires texture, to give the plait the un-styled, effortless feel that makes it so appealing. “Spritz a texturizing spray into hair—ideally not freshly washed—to give it extra body and then pull hair loosely into a classic plait.”