One-Hit Wonders: Fall Hair Trends to Try Now

The real beauty of trends like the Y knot and neon cat eyes? The way they ignite an otherwise neutral face with a single accent, nudging your whole look forward with a brush or a swipe. Just follow the how-to’s we gathered from hanging backstage at the shows, and update your playlist with one of these solo acts.

The Bubble PonyIf you can tie an elastic really tight, you can bump yourself out of a hair rut in five minutes. At Valentino, stylist Guido first made strands slick and straight with smoothing lotion and a blow-dryer. Then, before gathering hair at the nape, he spritzed locks with hairspray (Redken's Forceful 23 Super-Strength Finishing Spray, $18; redken.com). The real key to this tactile tail, though, is to evenly space the elastic bands 2 inches apart (BLAX Snag-Free Hair Elastics, $4/12; smoothiesstore.com) and gently pull out the hair between them for a playful orb effect.

De-Tailed Tails"Well-crafted touches" took fall’s show ponies to another level, says Sam McKnight, who styled hair for Fendi. Though he “sewed the hair flat with a needle and hairpins,” he offers this easy DIY version for a similar feel: Working in sections, coat strands with hairspray (Sebastian Professional Shaper Fierce, $17; sebastianprofessional.com for salons), then comb through. Next, create two 3-inch sections on either side of a center part. Fold one over the other on either side for a crisscross at the crown. Gather all your hair into an elasticat the nape of your neck.

The Y KnotFrom the Dept. of Subtle Tweaks That Make Your Hair Look Totally 2014 comes this boho detail. First, apply a dime-size drop of volumizing mousse to the roots of damp hair. Then comb through and let air-dry. Create loose low-lying waves holding a 1½-inch curling iron vertically and curling in alternate directions; polish with a hydrating cream (Moroccanoil Hydrating Styling Cream, $37; moroccanoil.com). For the Y, make an anchor—a small braid on the underlayers of hair, near the nape—then join two thin strands from each side in the back with an elastic before U-pinning them to the hidden braid.

For more hair and beauty trends for fall, pick upInStyle’s September issue, available on newsstands and for digital download now.