Last year, it seemed like everyone was taking all their beauty trend cues from the ‘90s: The bixie haircut, thin eyebrows, and extra-dark lip liner returned with a vengeance. Throughout 2025, though, we’ve seen more of the 2010s’ influence, especially when it comes to hairstyles. Side bangs and deep side parts have made a comeback, and the undercut has received a braided upgrade. We’re here to talk about the latter look.
According to Shanna St. Cyr, a New York City-based braider, side braids are poised to be this fall and winter’s biggest braid trend. It’s a hybrid style, combining cornrows plaited, going down on one side of the head (to mimic a side-shave buzzcut) with a sew-in cascading down on the other side. For someone who wants to mimic the cool flair of having one side of your head shaved without actually doing any clipping, St. Cyr says these braids are the ideal option.
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St. Cyr points to Cassie Ventura’s now-infamous 2009 partial buzzcut as one of the inspirations for the braided look. “In the streets of New York, everyone’s calling it the Cassie braid,” she says. Helena Koudou, a New York City-based braider, confirms Cassie’s influence “I remember when Cassie came out with this style and girls were willing to shave their heads,” she says. “We now have a style that’s more convenient.”
St. Cyr also sees Beyoncé’s influence in the look. “I feel like it’s Lemonade braids reinvented,” she says, referring to the long blonde cornrows the singer had in the visuals for her sixth album.
