Plaits have certainly been weaving their way down the catwalk this season. From the pirate plaits [1] at Jean Paul Gaultier, to a more pulled-out messy style as seen at Prada [2] this summer and at Giles' Autumn Winter show. The trend shows no signs of unraveling — sorry, I couldn't resist!

Most of you, [3] are really liking this unstructured look. I have to admit that it's a great style if you want to disguise the fact that your hair may be slightly on the dirty side. Fishtail plaits – with plenty of texture – make an easy transition from catwalk to real life, plus they work well on layered hair, which can look too messy in a more traditional braid. For how to re-create this style at home, just .

• First prepare the hair, with Bumble & Bumble Prep, [4] (£12.50).
• Divide the hair into roughly five sections. Take one of the sections, and divide it into two.
• Take a strand from underneath each half, and loop it outwards and over the top, to the centre between the two halves.
• Start plaiting, it should feel like you're almost plaiting from underneath your hair.
• Leave a few strands of hair outside the plaits, these should be tucked-in or added later for a textural effect.
• Flyaway pieces should be encouraged, work quickly and don't be too neat.
• Repeat on all sections of the hair. For the tricky back-of-the-head section, you may need to ask for help from another pair of hands!

Source [5]