15 Celebs Proving Braids Are The Hair Trend Of The Year
2016 is the year when we will fall in love with braids all over again. We have been well trained in the art of the three-strand braid ever since we were little girls, but now is the time to really get creative. Quite often, the styles which look the most complicated are effortlessly simple and your new chic look is just a short YouTube tutorial away.
We know a trend when we see one and from early on this year these celebrities have been showing off some awesome flair with their braids on the red carpet. From perfect plaits to punk fishtails, these are going to be the looks we are rocking for the rest of this year.
Get ready for Braid Mania.
15 Cara Delevingne
Only model-turned-actress Cara Delevinge could turn up to the Chanel Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2016 Fashion Show in Paris earlier this year with her dog, Leo. Sitting obediently by her feet for the entire show, Cara rubbed away at his tummy and received plenty of attention from those sitting around her.
The 23-year-old, who is currently rumoured to be engaged to her singer girlfriend St. Vincent, was there in support of her friends Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner. She completed her edgy look with a tight braided up-do, gathered together in a high top knot.
14 Stella McCartney
British fashion designer Stella McCartney worked her french braid into her chic look perfectly when she attended the British Fashion Awards. Her hair style was relaxed, manageable yet super stylish.
The event held for the fashion elite took place at The London Coliseum and was also attended by Karl Lagerfeld, Rosie Huntington-Whitely, Tom Ford, Alexa Chung alongside David and Victoria Beckham. McCartney took home an award for Brand of the Year for her label under her own name.
13 Lupita Nyong'o
For 31-year-old actress Lupita Nyong'o, her big breakthrough came in 2013 when she took home an Academy Award for her first role in a major film, 12 Years a Slave. She has since gone on to land further lead roles in the live-action retelling of The Jungle Book and Star Wars: Episode VII.
Attending the Glamour Women of the Year Awards she appeared flawless with her braided up-do. Her look is a great way to keep hair away from the face showing off, like Lupita does here, your excellent makeup skills and winning smile.
12 Charlize Theron
Academy Award winning actress Charlize Theron put her own relaxed spin on the regal-like braid at the premiere for her movie, Dark Places. The typically tight princess style was finished with a twist by loosening the braids to help compliment her sharp look.
Her look pulled together four different braids: two French braids and two regular braids all pinned together. This is for the patient, but once you pull it off the compliments will make it all worth while.
11 Miley Cyrus
Whenever there is a new trend, we can always trust Miley Cyrus to take it to the extreme. Here she tried to work head-to-toe custom made Prada with twisted, punk-like pigtail braids.
Miley is one superstar who knows how to really set tongues wagging - including her own. This month, she posted a snap on Instagram of her engagement ring which she first received from her actor boyfriend, Liam Hemsworth, in 2012. The pair had been spotted hand in hand again, fuelling rumours they were set to walk down the aisle soon. Let's just hope she picks out a more appropriate bridal hairstyle than this get up.
10 Hailey Baldwin
Photo credit of the above snap, showing off 19-year-old Hailey Baldwin's sporty-chic braids, goes to 21-year-old Justin Bieber. The pair were enjoying a holiday together with his family in Anguilla, when he grabbed this snap of his "close friend."
Shortly after they flooded Instagram with pictures of them making out, Bieber gave an interview to GQ magazine revealing that he was just "friends" with Hailey. The Sorry singer revealed, "What if Hailey ends up being the girl I'm gonna marry, right? If I rush into anything, if I damage her, then it's always gonna be damaged. It's really hard to fix wounds like that. It's so hard… I just don't want to hurt her.” Marriage talks at 21-years-old? Those braids must really be working the magic on him.
9 Amy Schumer
Amy Schumer's "messy-braid" look is perfect for when you want to pull off effortless chic in less than five minutes. Amy became well-known for her fiercely independent and notorious single-girl lifestyle. But all that changed when she met her gorgeous new boyfriend, Ben Hanisch.
Hanisch is a bespoke furniture designer who managed to win the 34-year-old comedienne's heart. The cute couple shared a snap on Valentine's Day together, confirming to fans that Amy is officially taken.
8 Jessica Hart
Australian model Jessica Hart rocked the perfect princess look at the Glamour Women Awards with her up-do. Her braided crown showed off the high cheekbones which have landed 29-year-old work with Victoria's Secret and Sports Illustrated.
The Sydney-born star revealed to Cosmopolitan Australia how she manages to keep her in-demand figure looking great. She said, "I have a private trainer, he's a Pilates teacher, a yoga teacher and a personal trainer all in one. And when I can't work out I just try to eat a little less pasta!"
7 Amber Heard
Amber Heard rocked the braids at the Magic Mike XXL Premiere with such success that "How-To" tutorials started popping up on YouTube for those who wanted to mimic the look. The stunning actress teamed together a messy fishtail braid which she weaved into a crown. The loose hairs add to her laid-back sexy appeal instead of coming across overly polished.
It's her relaxed attitude that managed to snare the attention of The Rum Diary co-star, Johnny Depp. The actor said about falling in love with his new wife, who is 23 years his junior, "She was in my head, so I tracked her down. We tracked each other down. Actually, incidentally, it was amazing. It was at the first day of press on 'The Rum Diary.' Then we married that very day!"
6 Lily Aldridge
Lily Aldridge is such a fan of braids that she has been photographed on many occasions rocking the look. In New York, she was spotted with pigtail braids as she busied herself with meetings looking sophisticated. But the moment that really set "Braid Mania" alight was when she walked the red carpet wearing this red hot jumpsuit and perfect braided crown.
There is a reason why the 30-year-old Victoria's Secret model is considered to be one of the most beautiful women on the planet and that is because she is flawless.
5 Maika Monroe
22-year-old Maika Monroe is considered the hottest new Scream Queen of the screen right now after her thrilling performances in The Guest and It Follows. Proving she has what it takes to shift up into A-List status, Maika teamed a mature Marchesa gown with a playful plait - keeping her youthful glow intact.
This year will see her star alongside Jessie Usher as the President's daughter in Independence Day: Resurgence, which is set to be one of the biggest box-office of the summer. We're excited to see plenty more braids from Maika on the red carpet soon.
4 Emma Roberts
Talking about Scream Queens - Emma Roberts works the whispy, side-braid perfectly. The American Horror Story star, has also been photographed rocking the braided crown too. She is one star who just won't let a hot new trend pass her by.
Just last week, celebrating her 25th birthday, Emma was spotted leaving a hair salon with newly fitted blonde extensions. So we are expecting to see plenty more exciting twists and turns from the actress soon.
3 Kim Kardashian & North West
Kim Kardashian and North West teamed together to rock a mother-daughter boxer braids look. At just two-years-old, North appears to be following in the stylish footsteps of her own mother and fashion designer father, Kanye West.
The pair stormed New York Fashion Week this month, in support of Kanye's Yeezy Season 3 collection, where Kim showed off her new platinum blonde hair and North worked an over the top fur coat. Expect to see mother-daughter braided hair trends popping up all over Instagram soon.
2 Jennifer Lawrence
Let's face it - almost everyone wants to be Jennifer Lawrence, or at the very least have her in our lives. Jennifer's look of braided crown and barely-there makeup was on point when she graced the red carpet with her presence.
With three movies out this year, including X-Men: Apocalypse, J-Law has a busy schedule. Braids are the most manageable look for an Academy Award winning actress who is always on the run.
1 Beyonce
The bottom line is - if Beyonce gets in on a trend, then the whole world follows. Only Queen Bey could drop her track for Formation one day before she performed live during the Super Bowl halftime show, and then have the world singing along with her.
In her official music video for the first single from her new album, she can be seen in a long hallway, working her signature choreography and rocking an impressive braided crown. The shot cuts between her and "Baby Heir" Blue Ivy, who might follow in her mother's footsteps and work some killer braids herself in the future.