The Long Story at Proenza Schouler - NYFW Fall 2011

Many runway looks trickle down to the masses in some form or another, but the inspiration flows both ways. Case in point: Paul Hanlon's hairstyles for Proenza Schouler. As a followup to last season's "girl who fell asleep on the bus," the hairstylist, repping Fekkai, created another look that's straight from the street.

 "The boys really liked the idea of the girls having very long hair," Paul said. "We looked at pictures of Cher, Sissy Spacek, Ali McGraw" and added 22-inch extensions, razored at the ends for a grown-out look. Stylists used Fekkai's Coiff Strong Hold Volume Mousse to smooth out the top and join the extensions in with the models' own hair.

 The collection's Native American inspiration also showed up in the hairstyles via the center part and "this idea of a braid but not a braid," Paul explained. To create the "deconstructed knot" in the back, Paul started to braid the hair, but then pulled the center through and wrapped it all up with a big black elastic. Oceanique Tousled Wave Spray gave texture to strands in the back, while Sheer Hold Hairspray helped Paul's team smooth the hair at the top of the head to keep the look "sophisticated from the front."