Rom-Com Ponytails and Afterglow Blush Are Here for Fall

2 min read

If you were having the most incredible day of your life, that would include a good hair day, the kind that only comes around “twice a year,” according to hairstylist Karim Belghiran. This elusive look is exactly what inspired Belghiran for Cult Gaia’s spring/summer 2027 show. “A dream girl having the day of her dreams,” he says, like a main character in a romance book, which is why we coined the look a “Rom-Com Ponytail.” “You wake up and everything feels effortless and flawless.”

To emulate this ease, Belghiran created loose, knotted ponytails in two different styles. “One is a straight infinity knot with no tension,” he says. The other is even more fanciful and framed with tousled waves. It’s the kind of style you might expect a leading love interest like Andie Anderson or Anna Scott to step out in. Or Lili Reinhart, who’s currently channeling iconic rom-com characters on a press tour for her newest movie, The Love Hypothesis, and is wearing similarly tousled hairstyles.

At Cult Gaia, the lovergirl energy didn’t end with the undone ponytails, either. Raoul Alejandre upped the ante with a blush-forward makeup look. “The makeup is inspired by rolling around in the sheets with a lover in the south of Europe or a tropical place,” he says. “That tan has been building up throughout the week. It’s turned a little freckle-y in some instances.” To achieve this, Alejandre settled on berry-toned cheeks that weren’t too pink.

One thing is clear: This fall, it’s all about romance. Lean into whimsy. Put blush everywhere. Tie your hair into knots. As Belghiran says: “You’ll feel so good that you’re almost about to fly.”