Fall trend: "The Topknot"

What does it look like? With a topknot, all the hair is pulled in a bun at the very top of the head. Sometimes it’s pulled into a sleek updo (hair gel, fine tooth comb and all). Sometimes it’s messy and loosely tied. There are even various youtube tutorials where the topknot is made with a sock and thus christened the “sock-bun.” I tried it once with moderate success - several hundred bobby pins included.

Where will you see it? East London, independent fashion blogs with models wearing striped crop tops paired with 70’s style American Apparel skirts, hipster types near and around Kensington market, Sailor Moon episodes, tall Caucasian girls with dirty blonde hair on bikes, Joe Fresh spreads.

Where does it come from? The topknot is most popular in Japanese culture, where it’s called the “Odango” and most likely influenced kids who watched 90s anime. It’s been donned by independent fashion bloggers since 2006, and has since become increasingly popular.

Yay? Cute, comfortable, easy, girly, makes you feel like a ballerina (well maybe that’s just me).

Or Nay? Undeniably ridiculous when you stare at it long enough.

When will it end? Like any fashion, it will be shrugged off as passé when it becomes overly popular. Or when it goes Gaga and develops into something totally absurd – it becomes so high it starts tipping over and becomes the “forehead knot” or the “noseknot.”