NYFW Signals the End of the Slick Back Bun for Fall 2026
Marie Claire's beauty director says low ponytails, disheveled buns and relaxed half-up styles replaced the slick back bun across NYFW fall 2026 runways and the Emmys red carpet.
Updated
The takeaway
- New York Fashion Week fall 2026 runways and the 2026 Emmys red carpet favored low ponytails and loose, messy updos over the slick back bun, per Marie Claire Beauty Director Hannah Baxter.
- Grace Gummer wore a barely-there ponytail instead of a red carpet blowout at the 2026 Emmys.
- Baxter warns that the tension of a slick back can lead to traction alopecia; she recommends sea salt spray or texturizer for the season's relaxed styles.
The slick back bun, the updo that dominated offices, weddings and red carpets for years, is facing outright competition at New York Fashion Week, where low ponytails and loose, messy updos took over for fall 2026.
Marie Claire Beauty Director Hannah Baxter, who authored the report, points to three forces behind the shift: the NYFW runways, street style stars, and Hollywood A-listers at the 2026 Emmys. "the ubiquitous bun is facing some competition, in the form of disheveled low ponys and messy, loose updos," she writes.
Baxter is not declaring the sleek style dead. "I know that I will still turn to a sleek and taut style when I need an elevated hair option for an evening event, but for my everyday life, I'm kinda sorta opening myself up to a less severe look for the fall," she writes. Her conclusion after reviewing the shows: three low-maintenance, high-style looks stood out, especially for anyone who wants "to give your hair and scalp a break."
The Low Ponytail
Ponytails once belonged to third-, fourth- or fifth-day hair. Over the last few years, everyone from Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders to the Hollywood elite embraced a snatched, bouncy pony as a statement look. For fall 2026 and into S/S '27, the direction has reversed. Designers, starlets and the street style crowd have adopted what Baxter calls "a far less glamorous—almost humble—style: the low ponytail."
The look is defined by hair tied back quickly, with face-framing pieces left out and the length nearly tumbling free of its closure. Baxter credits the Olsen twins as the style's early standard-bearers, but says that after "combing through pages and pages of street style photos and fashion show wrap-ups, it's clear that the low pony has gained some serious footing in the sartorial realm." The proof point: Grace Gumper—described by Baxter as "bonafide Hollywood royalty"—skipped the typical red carpet blowout and wore a barely-there ponytail at the 2026 Emmys.
The Disheveled Bun
For those unwilling to give up buns entirely, the season's version is deliberately undone. "No need to turn to a wax stick to shellac down those baby hairs—let them fly free for a pretty, Renaissance-style effect," Baxter writes.
The key runway reference is Diotima S/S '27, where models with all different hair textures walked with plentiful flyaways escaping their artful updos. Baxter calls it a fit for "day three hair" when she "simply can't be bothered to slick back my hair for hours." She also flagged an accessory trend spotted between NYFW shows: a chic silk scarf worn with a messy bun.
The Relaxed Half-Up, Half-Down
The half-up, half-down style—a favorite of "the Biebers and Jenners of the world," in Baxter's words—had significant airtime during NYFW street style. As with the low ponytail, the hair was not gathered with heavy tension or frizz-eliminating products; the effect read as "effortless and devil-may-care in a super refreshing way."
The style works across braids, waves and curls, and Baxter notes that embracing natural texture "helps keep the half-up, half-down style from feeling too youthful or grade school-coded." Her practical tip for thin or fine hair: reach for a sea salt spray or texturizer before sectioning hair into top and bottom.
The Scalp-Health Angle
Baxter connects the trend to a concrete hair-care concern: tension. "the tension of a slick back can lead to traction alopecia!" she writes, noting she is "desperately trying to minimize hair loss at the moment." She frames the shift plainly: "anything that allows me to embrace frizz and flyaways but still feel like the hottest version of myself is just fine by me."
The so-what for the trade: the slick back bun will likely remain a styling staple, but fall 2026 demand is moving toward tension-free finishes, visible texture and flyaway-friendly products—wax sticks and gels giving ground to sea salt sprays and texturizers.
Source: Marie Claire Beauty
Amara Osei
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Staff writer covering media and advertising at Eurasian Beauty Journal.
