Fashion & Style: Gina Rivera on Runway Trends in Europe

Center parts and slick-back hair styles were among the favorites on the catwalks at the London Fashion Week as hair color continued a trend toward more natural tones. Attention now shifts to the runways of Milan for the third stop in this mega-series of fashion and style.

We’re in the middle of the ‘Big Four’ Fashion Weeks that began in New York. Clothing is the primary focus. Designers flock to sell their creativity and take orders for the spring and summer of 2015. This is also a showcase for trending hair. Watching for what makes it from one coast to the next is always informative, and fun.

Center parts were big in London. These were trending strong on the runways at the New York Fashion Week and at two huge red carpet events last month here in the states, the Emmys and the MTV Video Music Awards. The center part is a timeless style that takes a cue from the 60s.

Another style that was big in London was the slick-back look, notably paired with lines by Thomas Tait, Richard Nicoll and Christopher Kane. London-based label Issa matched a beautiful line of casual wear with pulled-back hair in a semi-gloss finish and a perfect center part for a very clean, uniform look.

These styles go so well with virtually any clothing, even lending a note of irony to some of the more lavish and luscious designs on parade. In real life, you can do this hair in the gym or board room and it’s fairly simple to pull off at home.

Rapper Iggy Azalea and signer Rita Ora both donned slick-back wet looks in blonde for the recent MTV Video Music Awards. Recording artist Jessie J had hers in black. This is a versatile, powerful and beautiful look that’s on a roll.

Meanwhile, colors remained on track for more natural tones with softer, more subtle transitions. That was the case at the New York Fashion Week and appears to be where hair color is headed at the Milan Fashion Week as we get our first look at the show there.

There were some terrific exceptions to the trends. Designers Marta Marques and Paulo Almeida at the London Fashion Week paired their aggressive clothing lines with some big, blown-out manes of beautiful long hair full of messy curls for a wonderfully primal look to go with their sheer and shredded fabrics and geometric lines.

Another welcome departure came with fashions by Simone Rocha. Her models wore long, glossy waves and curls draped across their faces opposite deep side parts … not the most practical, but we can see where this is headed. In a real-life salon, you could train these piecey locks to hang just aside the eyes for a sophisticated, alternative look. This is nearly the antithesis of the glossy slick-back look and the practical ponytail. Suddenly you’ve got a wearable standout style. You could also pull it back in a ponytail for a quick change and another really cool style.

Look for inspiration. Be open to change!