NYFW Street Style Puts Updos and Bare Skin Front and Center

Chignons, braided pigtails and every ponytail variation dominated NYFW S/S '27 street style, per Marie Claire, as bare, radiant skin and bold lips rounded out the season's beauty story.

By Daniel OkaforSeptember 22, 20262 min read

Updated September 23, 2026

NYFW Street Style Puts Updos and Bare Skin Front and Centerseanrnicholson / Openverse

The takeaway

Chignons, braided pigtails and ponytail variations led NYFW S/S '27 street style beauty, per Marie Claire Beauty Director Hannah Baxter.
Bare, radiant skin with occasional bold lip color defined the season's makeup direction outside the shows.
Henry Zankov debuted as new creative director of Diane Von Furstenberg during the S/S '27 season.

Chignons — messy and sleek — have emerged as the defining street style beauty statement of New York Fashion Week S/S '27, according to Marie Claire Beauty Director Hannah Baxter, who covered the hair and makeup worn by editors, creators and buyers moving between shows in Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn.

Baxter reported that updos are "having a moment" this season, with braided pigtails and "all variations of the ponytail" joining chignons as the dominant off-runway hairstyles. The trend held despite cooperative New York weather, suggesting the updo revival is a deliberate style choice rather than a humidity workaround.

Bare skin is the season's second major theme. Baxter described "radiant complexions on models and show-goers alike" as a common sighting, with the occasional pop of color on the lips as what she called "another welcome addition to the fashion party."

The street style contingent turned out for collections from designers including Henry Zankov, who made his debut as the new creative director of Diane Von Furstenberg, alongside Daniella Kallmeyer, Jamie Haller, Maria McManus and Tory Burch.

Marie Claire's accompanying lookbook of more than 30 named trends maps the breadth of the week's beauty moment. Hairstyles on the list include the "Power Pony," the "Money Piece Chignon," "Serving Side Braid," "Beautifully Ballet," "All Twisted Up," "Bangs, Baby, Bangs," "Curly Crop," "All About a Bixie" and "Double Up." Makeup and nail entries range from "Petal Lips," "Bold Pout," "Cranberry Kiss" and "Silver Siren" to the "Maximalist Mani" — a counterpoint to the season's prevailing minimal complexions.

Accessories also factored into the looks, with "Add a Bandana" and "Extra Accessorized" both earning spots in the roundup, signaling that hair adornment may carry into the fall season alongside the sculptural updos.

Baxter, who previously held roles at The Zoe Report, Coveteur and Bust Magazine and authors the Marie Claire newsletter Face Forward, said she will continue updating the coverage over the next several days, promising "all the hair, makeup, and nail inspiration you need to enter fall in style."

For beauty brands and salons, the takeaway is concrete: the S/S '27 street style cycle points to demand for textured-hold styling products, gloss-forward bare-skin bases and statement lip color heading into fall.

Source: Marie Claire Beauty