Slick knotted chignon hairstyle

Alberta Ferretti hardened up a little for fall 2012. Her collection was a mix of her trademark soft femininity and a more masculine edge, incorporating leather and tailoring alongside floating sheer fabrics and beading. The hair and beauty look was stronger to match: neutral shades on the face creating strong contours, and a slick center part hairstyle that gathered at the nape of the neck into a low knotted chignon.

Lead creative stylist from Redken, Guido Paulo, created the clean and strong yet elegant hairstyle. Here’s how.

Apply a volumiser to damp hair – Guido used Redken Body Full Volume Amplifier. You want the hair to be sleek but not too flat, so this will create the thickness you need. Next, blow dry the hair straight.

Create a neat center part down the middle of the head.

Secure the hair into a low ponytail at the nape of the neck. Apply a shine spray for a high gloss finish. Guido used Redken Shine Flash 02 glistening mist along with Fashion Work 12 hairspray to keep the hairstyle clean and shiny and keep flyaways at bay.

Twist the ponytail first into a neat single section of hair. Then, begin wrapping the ponytail around the base, pinning with bobby pins as you go. Once you’ve twisted the hair around into a chignon, tuck the end of the ponytail underneath and pin it.

If you have long enough hair you can create the ‘knot’ effect by pushing the end of the tail back through the center of the chignon. Pin it securely in place.

Low knotted chignon

Finish with more hairspray to hold.

You can make the knotted chignon looser or tighter depending on your preference, but to replicate the style at Alberta Ferretti, it was all about mixing strength with femininity – so keeping it clean but not overly strict is the way to go.

For more fall 2012 hairstyles including tutorials and how-to guides, follow that link.