A grid of photos showing various hairstyles, including thick and skinny braids, long and short cuts with bangs and some styles with side parts.
A common approach to various hairstyles seen at recent fashion weeks was to not obstruct the face.
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Style Outside

Hair That Puts Your Best Face Forward

Wet waves, curly mullets and all sorts of braids commanded attention without camouflaging other features.

Photographs and Text by Simbarashe Cha

Simbarashe Cha wrote the text and made these photographs for Style Outside, a visual column that explores street style around the world.

At the recent fashion weeks in New York, London, Milan and Paris, the many wet waves, curly mullets and braids of all sizes in the crowds seemed to be styled with a shared philosophy: Keep it tight at the top.

Hair, no matter the length or the flow, was for the most part arranged to avoid obscuring faces. Curls and longer cuts were often pulled behind ears, and some people slicked back their hair or styled their bangs to keep them from hiding eyes. Lots of those bangs were sharp and angular — especially among devotees of Japanese fashion — while others were more relaxed. All were a reminder that there is nothing wrong with showing a bit of forehead.

ImageA person with a brown bob seen from the waist up on a city street. The person is wearing a maroon varsity jacket over a pale blue button-up shirt and a like-colored tie.
A breezy bob that brought to mind the Beyoncé lyric “I woke up like this.”
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Loose waves recalled the pattern on a coat.
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These tight Marcel waves had an alluring sheen.
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A moment made by a wet shag and pouty lips.
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Flowing dark curls popped against white fur.
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This combination of loose curls and tie-neck shirt felt both modern and Old World.
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Even tooth jewels could not outshine these locks.
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A sharp combination of poufy side part and pointy beard.
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This grooming was more relaxed, but no less considered.
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Striking a pleasing tone with effortless copper waves.
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Channeling 1970s schoolgirl with dark down-the-back hair and a plaid skirt.
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Making a statement with blond braids by the handful.
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Making a statement with blond braids by the dozen.
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Coiled braids and pink drawstring cords gave this look a futuristic quality.
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Hefty shades added oomph to this mixture of braids.
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This twisty pair was completed by side-swept bangs and flyaways.
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Perhaps the sister of the mullet: business on the top, party on the bottom.
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Sweet finishing touches to this honey-blond hair included bows and pearls.
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A style so precisely shaped that it recalled a sculpture.
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It was as if a strip of bangs had been woven through the parted hair.
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Glasses or not, the combed-back bob looked smart.
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Few styles conjure an off-duty-model aura as well as a simple pixie cut.
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Short, dark hair topped with sunglasses, along with a beauty mark, evoked Hollywood starlet.
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A close shave put a radiant smile front and center.
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This silvery asymmetrical bowl cut was anything but ordinary.
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A bob and bangs that almost perfectly framed the face.
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Starkly streaked hair played well with this outfit’s different patterns.
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The cut’s tiered shape was as unique as its color.

Simbarashe Cha is a Times photographer and visual columnist documenting style and fashion around the world. More about Simbarashe Cha

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section ST, Page 10 of the New York edition with the headline: Tamed Hair Puts The Face Forward. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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