Tweed Hair Is Trending, & The Look Is All About Dimensional Strands

Most hair color trends are about getting that justright shade of blonde, or that perfectly-toned brunette, but this time around, the tweed hair color trend is more about the approach with which your colorist creates your highlights than the shade of the strands themselves. Inspired by tweed fabric, an autumn style staple, Allure reports that this look will be everything for fall 2019, so if you're due for a dye job, it's time to DM your colorist and see if he or she can give you the tweed hair of your dreams.

How did tweed hair come into existence? Allure spoke with colorists Guy Tang and Rex Jimieson, who claim the subtle yet impactful blending technique is the one to try this season. Jimieson told Allure that the look was all about working with the hair's natural tones while still creating a little contrast via highlights, and Tang described the technique as "sewing" lighter stitches throughout the strands. How inspired! And seeing as I can't afford the dream Chanel tweed suit of my dreams, maybe rocking the tweed hair trend instead will help me cope.

When I spoke with Michelle Gonzalez, a colorist at Mimi's Salon in Belmar, New Jersey, she pointed out that the trend was quite similar to the strandlighting technique:

When Gonzalez wants to create a tweed-like look on her clients, she opts for strandlighting, an approach which requires thin, tiny foils as opposed to thicker, chunky highlights or a fully blended ombré melt. "The technique has the stylist taking such tiny strands of hair in a foil, that the effect looks seamless, unlike traditional foils," she explains.

To nail the tweed colorway, it's all about toning the bleached areas to a shade that compliments your hair's natural undertones:

Plus, tiny foils take a lot less time than a full head of color, not to mention serve as a much more subtle way to change up your look than a drastic dye job. That said, they're by no means easy for a colorist to perfect, since he or she has to ensure the strands are toned well enough to work with the base color of the hair, so as to not look streaky.

If they do nail it, the effect is stitches of light hair sewn in to brighten up your base — no actual sew-in extensions required:

"The tweed hair technique is great for girls who let their hair grow in all summer and lighten up naturally from the sun, and now that fall is here, it’s looking dark and a little dull," says Gonzalez. "It’s a great way to add back in lightness without doing a full head of lightening, which would be more damaging to the hair," she adds.

If you love this dimensional look, autumn is the perfect time to try it out:

Tweed is always trending for fall, so it's obvi the perfect time to flaunt your tweed hair, too! Be sure to bring your stylist tons of photos and stress the importance of highlight size and tone, to ensure your tweed strands are as on point as possible.