Date Night Braid

L’Academie blouse (c/o REVOLVE)
Aritzia culottes (similar)
Zara flats (similar)
Celine bag
Rayban sunglasses
Keltie Leanne Designs ring (c/o)
Keltie Leanne Designs earrings (c/o)
Hair by Fran Rizzutto

It’s hair week here on Coco & Vera. It’s not a secret that I wear the same hairstyle all the time. So, for a fun change of pace, I’ve teamed up with local stylist Fran Rizzutto to share three fabulous – and simple – night out hair styles with you this week. Bonus: if you visit Fran at Vq Salon in Winnipeg and mention Coco & Vera, you’ll receive a free conditioning treatment! If you missed the first two installments in this series, you can read them here and here.

I have two confessions to make before I start. One: Although I came up with all kinds of crazy braided hairstyles during my years as a gymnast, the last time I wore a braid as an adult was… probably about seven years ago. Two: We don’t actually do date night. On average, with our work schedules, we have two nights a week to spend together. We’ve lived this way for years, and maybe that’s just forced us to make the most of the time we have, I don’t know. What I do know is that we genuinely don’t set out to have a weekly date night. Or a monthly date night. Or any date night, really.

But… we do go out together. Often, in fact. Pretty much every week on one of our shared nights off, actually. For us, date night involves walking. And food. Lots of food. So I keep my date night outfits casual and comfortable. Normally, I leave my hair down, because that feels casual to me. But then, I normally spend half the night wishing I had a hair elastic. The perfect solution? A beautiful braid.

A braid is at once fancy and functional. That’s why I loved them when I did gymnastics. Even if someone was watching my performance from high in the bleachers, my braid would stand out for more than an average high bun. But at the same time, a braid kept my hair out of my way effortlessly, so I could concentrate on catching whatever apparatus I had to repeatedly toss over my head while leaping and dancing. (I did rhythmic gymnastics… it’s an odd sport to practice, but even more odd to describe, it turns out.)

On date night, a braid is a perfect way to mix things up. It can elevate a simple outfit of black culottes and white blouse to a whole new level of fabulousness. To be honest, this outfit on its own doesn’t have a lot of wow factor – its comfortable and I like it, but it doesn’t stand out. Add a beautiful braid and everything changes.

My braiding skills are, admittedly, not what they used to be – after all, it’s been a lot of years since I was a teenaged gymnast. But I’ve been experimenting more with braids recently (and, admittedly, getting a lot of help from YouTube tutorials…!) It really is fun to switch things up with your hair every once in a while… but next week, I’ll be back with my signature curls. Happy Friday!