Ben Ritter
Designers and hair artists did not disappoint during fashion week this season, making many a beauty editor stop in her tracks and jump up and down with glee. There were powder-colored blue and pink bouffants at Marc Jacobs; real rose-bedecked updos at Rodarte; gelled “mirror” hair at Naeem Khan. Though we’ll always love the ease of tousled beach waves, for the runway we want Drama with a capital D. Which is why I was pleasantly surprised to see that models and street style stars alike were sporting a ’90s grunge throwback: a buzzed head.
Personally, ever since I laid eyes on Frank Ocean’s Blond album, I can’t get a buzz cut out of my mind. There’s beauty in the bare simplicity of it—with no hair to hide behind, your features take center stage. The wearer needs confidence in spades, because, whether there is a deeper reasoning behind it or not, the cut is a statement. It’s saying, “I’m myself even without a hairstyle, and I don’t care if you like it.” At least that’s what I would feel, were I brave enough to break out the clippers. Ironically, I shave my boyfriend’s head every week or so and pride myself on having mastered the perfect length for his sideburns. But for women, hair is so much more a source of identity, femininity, and beauty that to witness this freedom from long manes on so many different types of girls was undeniably empowering. Plus, they looked fucking cool.
Personally, ever since I laid eyes on Frank Ocean’s Blond album, I can’t get a buzz cut out of my mind. There’s beauty in the bare simplicity of it—with no hair to hide behind, your features take center stage. The wearer needs confidence in spades, because, whether there is a deeper reasoning behind it or not, the cut is a statement. It’s saying, “I’m myself even without a hairstyle, and I don’t care if you like it.” At least that’s what I would feel, were I brave enough to break out the clippers. Ironically, I shave my boyfriend’s head every week or so and pride myself on having mastered the perfect length for his sideburns. But for women, hair is so much more a source of identity, femininity, and beauty that to witness this freedom from long manes on so many different types of girls was undeniably empowering. Plus, they looked fucking cool.
To up the wow factor of these super-short haircuts, many models and showgoers added a bold dye job, a subtle (in some cases) nod to Ocean’s slime green version. To be fair, after you’ve shaved off all your hair, bleaching and coloring it is a lot less of a commitment. Why not make it hot pink? Depending on the angle and intensity of the dye, the effect was akin to a halo of color around each woman’s head, making the look all the more eye-catching and ideal for the runway.
Several designers, including Christian Cowan, Mansur Gavriel, Maryam Nassir Zadeh, and Marc Jacobs, embraced this burgeoning trend by casting models with shaved heads, the last of whom buzzed the hair of nine (!!) models prior to the show. Catwalk regulars like Slick Woods at Savage x Fenty, Dree Hemingway at Sies Marjan, and newcomer Cajsa Wessberg have all been rocking the look as of late, which is making me ever so slightly more curious about picking up the clippers myself. I’m not quite ready for my own buzz, but who knows? I already have an undercut—what’s a few more inches off the top?
Several designers, including Christian Cowan, Mansur Gavriel, Maryam Nassir Zadeh, and Marc Jacobs, embraced this burgeoning trend by casting models with shaved heads, the last of whom buzzed the hair of nine (!!) models prior to the show. Catwalk regulars like Slick Woods at Savage x Fenty, Dree Hemingway at Sies Marjan, and newcomer Cajsa Wessberg have all been rocking the look as of late, which is making me ever so slightly more curious about picking up the clippers myself. I’m not quite ready for my own buzz, but who knows? I already have an undercut—what’s a few more inches off the top?
Check out the best buzz cuts from New York Fashion Week below.
