One question was on the lips of the chronically online everywhere a few weeks ago:
“Brat summer or demure fall?”
Even if you vouched for the former, time can’t be stopped—and neither, it seems, can that shift into a cosier, more elegant aesthetic for the northern autumn. It’s certainly reflected by a bevy of classic, feminine updo styles trending all over TikTok and the runways right now.
TikTok moodboards showcasing the ‘it girl’ hairstyles to try this season are awash with French twists, knotted buns and low braids. Meanwhile, brands including Alice + Olivia and Carolina Herrera featured floral accessories to adorn models’ pulled back hair on the spring/summer 2025 runways.
While subdued climates and polarising pumpkin spice concoctions don’t have much pull in Singapore, this is one autumnal trend we can get behind. After all, what better way to keep cool than to throw your hair up and keep it off your neck? If you’ve reached peak fatigue where slicked back buns and claw clips are concerned, the sweet styles and vintage hair accessories being revived this season—from French pins to tortoise shell clips—are a most demure alternative.
Below, see our pick of the elegant updo hacks that are currently trending:
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The French twist
The claw clip has reigned over the past few years, but a new way of securing your hair is coming (back) into popular play. Enter the French pin.
“Ladies, try using a French hair pin instead of a claw clip this fall,” New York City-based influencer Isabel Tan, or @pretty.frowns, advises in a TikTok that has garnered over 379,000 likes. “It actually fits in your tiny purse and looks so elegant and effortless.”
The resulting updo is being revived as the ‘French twist’. While this hairstyle is newly trending on TikTok, it was popular in the ’90s as seen on the likes of Jennifer Aniston in Friends and Whitney Houston in Waiting to Exhale.
@thanyaw_Is the french pin the next claw clip?♬ YOU MAKE ME WANNA – kyoko
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Knot it up
We’ve been loving our slicked back buns for some time, and now the elegant intricacy of a knotted bun is growing in appeal.
You may recall Sofia Richie sporting the style for her wedding last year in Antibes, France—and now it’s trending again as a must-try hair look on TikTok.
An instant way to inject your updo with glamour, this braid-effect bun is easily recreated by tying your hair in a simple braid, then coiling it around itself and securing. Tip: A hair mask will keep the strands on your scalp looking sleek and polished.
@amanda_sand Can’t wait for my hair to grow longer so i can do this hairstyle again 🩷 what do you think? #braidedbun #hairtok #hairstyletutorial #braidedbuntutorial #hairstyleinspo #shorthairideas #longhairideas #hairtutorial
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Floral touch
Who says florals can’t be groundbreaking? While more elegant than edgy, accessorising your hair with a floral motif is a timeless, romantic means of adornment.
Look to the runways of New York’s spring/summer 2025 shows for inspiration. At Alice + Olivia, floral chains were wrapped around models’ buns to keep them in place. Meanwhile, oversized flower accessories were a finishing touch for manes at Carolina Herrera.
If going all out sounds daunting to you, a blooming effect can be evoked as easily as framing your bun with an oversized scrunchie.
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