The Mane Event

The awful, humid summer is at last behind us and we can now look forward to my favorite season.  Some of you may call it fall, but I call it Good Hair Time.  Moderate temperatures, low humidity, not too dry.  We can finally stop worrying about how to deal with our hair, and instead focus on how to style it.  At the salon, we saw our usual mid-August "I can't stand it any longer, chop it off!" clients, and this is right around the time when they might be realizing that short hair requires more frequent upkeep than long hair.  But the good news is that whether you held on to that ponytail or went short this summer, fall hair trends can work for both lengths.

If there was one clear message from the fall magazines, it's that big hair is in.  At the same time, many of the photo spreads also featured simple, pulled back styles.  Yet what may seem incongruous actually does work together.  Both looks are relaxed and low maintenance.  Forget the flat iron and the curlers, just blow-dry your hair and go.

Of course, with such a simple look, it's more vital than ever to make sure your color shines.  Because simple + dull = old and tired, but simple + shiny = polished and fresh.  This is the perfect time of the year to start transitioning your color from summer to holiday.  Thanksgiving is only two color appointments away.  Here are a few of my favorite celebrity looks for the fall, courtesy of InStyle, that are perfect examples of great color with relaxed styles:

Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic.com

Frazer Harrison/Getty