By Eve Williams, February 2026
Cool girl hair: The Slicked-Back Noughties Braid Takes Over London Fashion Week
As the curtain fell on London Fashion Week, one standout hair trend emerged on Sinead Gorey’s Autumn/Winter showrunways, the slicked-back, noughties braid. It’s less front row glamour and more back room of the pub at midnight. It perfectly captured that insouciant pub cool girl energy.
Gorey’s A/W collection paid homage to the spirit of a night at the pub, nostalgic and deliberately undone. The hair mirrored that mood. Models wore ultra slick, glass like roots pulled tightly away from the face, flowing into a clean plait that unravelled towards the ends. Controlled at the crown but soft and windswept through the lengths, it was essentially morning after a night out hair but reimagined for the runway.
It’s a modern evolution of early 2000s styling. But instead of festival braids or boho texture, this 2026 feels editorial. There’s something romantic and faintly gothic about it too. Essentially it’s Catherine Earnshaw, if she swapped the moors for the local on a Friday night.
The official hair sponsor for the show, Bed Head created every backstage look, using products that were key to achieving that contrast between a sleek but lived-in texture.
To recreate it, Creative Director of Bed Head, Philip Downing, says to focus on slicked-back roots first, brushing hair firmly away from the face for a high-shine finish. Before braiding, smooth a pump of Bed Head’s After Party through the mid-lengths to add separation and polish. Plait neatly, then gently loosen the ends for that deliberately undone effect.
Effortless and gorgeously nostalgic, the noughties braid is poised to become the season’s most wearable (and most pub-approved) runway export.
