America and Cuba have reconciled over the past year, but last night's Proenza Schouler show truly brought the previously feuding nations into perfect harmony—this time, in braid form. "The guys went to Cuba and they're very interested in this very confident, very sexy, very passionate, very strong Cuban woman," said hairstylist Anthony Turner. "It's almost like New York meeting Cuba—[the braid] is how we bring the two elements together."
The sleek plait "pinched" at the nape didn't exactly make Turner popular with models. "The girls hate me today," he laughed. After dividing strands down the middle, he misted all over with a combo of Bumble and Bumble Thickening Lotion and Prep, and then blew hair dry with his fingers for texture. Next, he pulled the length into a taut ponytail, divided it into three sections, and coated them with Classic Hairspray each time he crossed one piece over the other to eliminate any fuzz or flyaways. "The reason I'm not braiding first off [and spraying it after] is because it would look romantic," he explained, adding that "it's the Proenza girl at the end of the day—there has to be an element of coolness."
One catwalker, however, escaped the strict, pulled-back braids: Shelby Hayes, a model who was scouted just two weeks ago while shopping at the grocery store in California. Turner did manage to get his hands on her natural halo of curls a day prior to the show, snipping them into a shorter, boyish crop for the runway. "It was really big and circular, like an Afro," said the rookie. "It was kind of an odd length before, but this is perfect—it almost feels like it's in a ponytail all the time, which is nice since it's been so warm."
Though her friends back home haven't seen her new cut yet (their response to her walking one of the biggest shows of New York Fashion Week was "Proenza who?"), those who follow her on Snapchat were given a sneak peek. "I have maybe seven friends on there, so they know that I cut my hair!" she laughed. We imagine her status on social media has seen a significant spike since sashaying down the runway.
