Not a braid, not mermaid waves - this spring and summer favourite looks as if it happened all by itself, yet careful work stands behind it. Jennifer Lopez showed it off, the „knot braid", and stylists immediately crowned it the season's most romantic hairstyle.

At the „Office Romance" premiere in New York, stylist Justine Marjan created a low-gathered style that flows into a richly textured braid with movement. The key, he says, is to start with a loose gather at the crown - without over-tightening - and then to interweave different strands to achieve an „organic, multidimensional structure" that looks more complex than an ordinary braid.

Why now? The hairstyle is part of a wider direction in beauty: less rigid, more natural sophistication. It visually lengthens the face through volume at the top, frames it softly and suits different face shapes - an alternative to the classic sleek bun.

The detail that makes the difference is the strategically loosened strands around the face. They soften the features and give a fresher, younger look, balancing the polished elegance of the braid itself.

Lopez rounded off the whole look with delicate make-up - a lavender shadow, a subtle line and a glossy nude-pink on the lips. A lesson that keeps repeating in beauty: the hardest look to achieve is the one that pretends it didn't try at all.