The Trend: Kiss Curl Fantasy
The Inspiration: Josephine Baker, 1920s flapper girls, Harlem Renaissance, Betty Boop
As seen at: Jil Sander, Giambattista Valli, Simone Rocha, Thom Browne
The allure of the 1920s has long held our gaze, whether it’s the glamour of flapper girls, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, jazz music influences of the time or even the resurgence of the smudged up, smoky eye of the Prohibition era in the midst of a pandemic as a means to cope with the global gloom.
Even now, it seems that the runways are still fixated on the era as hair takes inspiration from American-born French singer and dancer Josephine Baker. As a 1920s icon, known for her show-stopping hairstyles that defined the era, kiss curls were her most popular signature, defined as pieces of hair styled along the hairline in wavy curls that “kissed” the forehead and temples.
This year’s Met Gala was a masterclass in sweeping finger waves with celebrities drawing inspiration from Josephine Baker and the Harlem Renaissance. From Teyana Taylor, Simone Biles, Dua Lipa and even Bad Bunny, celebrities sported variations of swooped-up edges, whether cascading along the temples, delicately framing the forehead as a swooped fringe or worn as a single kiss curl.
No longer just the perfect finisher to a style; swooped edges and kiss curls have become the main event; worn as long, face-framing hair pieces gelled along the temples or a micro-fringe sweeping across the forehead as a nod to Josephine Baker. Call them kiss curls, retro finger waves or laid edges, one thing remains — swooped edges of any kind, length or intensity are still having a major moment.
5 ways to wear it
1. Short & swooped
If you’re planning on going for the big chop and sporting bob for the new season, take your cue from Jil Sander on how to style it with a retro twist. Nape-length bobs were sleek and elegant when slicked back away from the face, except for an oversized swoop of hair, reminiscent of a fringe sweeping along the forehead.
2. Glossed waves
Dramatic finger waves were the memo at Giambattista Valli, Rokh and Jason Wu as models sported hair styled loose or in long ponytails paired with high-gloss, drenched waves. Generously apply hair gel to damp strands and comb strands from the section between the hairline and ears, forward and across the forehead to form deep waves that elegantly framed the brow and temples.
3. Wavy wraps
At Giambattista Valli and Dior, kiss curls took on a braided form as cornrows were styled as finger waves for a resort twist. Braids extended over the forehead and curled back into the hairline in wavy designs to create the appearance of retro waves. The style was brought into resort territory with the addition of turbans covering the head, except for face-framing, braided retro waves peeking about the edges.
4. Elongated edges
At Simone Rocha and Jil Sander, ponytails and messy buns were given new life with the addition of long frontal swoops that resembled elongated baby hairs along the hairline. Whether paired with a side part or middle parting, use a styling gel that will not leave hair with a hard, crunchy hold and generously apply to the font sections of hair, combing forward onto the forehead and swooping back just above the ears.
5. Braided kiss
At Thom Browne, kiss curls felt abstract and artistic when paired with long, feathered lashes and painterly makeup. Kiss curls were more of a suggestion than a sweeping statement as models were sent out with super short Afros that were accented with a single, kiss curl braid for added visual interest along the hairline.
The kit
- Mizani True Textures Sleek Holding Gel 250ml R470
- Ghd The Comb Out Detangling Comb R280
- The Perfect Hair Grow on the Go Edge Tamer R65
- TREsemmé Volume & Lift Volume Mousse 200ml R125
- Clicks Essentials Curly Textured Triple Edge Styler R76
- Inoar Magic One 7 Benefits Hair Reconstructor Spray 300ml R650
