‘Hideous’ fashion trend celebs and bold fashionistas are embracing

A controversial new trend has taken off in the fashion world, with critics calling the bizarre statement “weird” and “hideous”.

Daring fashionistas are shelling out big bucks for braided hair neckties from a luxury label after the avant-garde add-on was unveiled in Paris last year.

Costing a dizzying $A3800, the controversial creation from Schiaparelli is made from nylon tendrils looped together into a pigtail.

Since the dubious debut, voguish VIPs, from the big screen to the Big Apple and beyond, are wowing with the woven wonder — or less expensive, do-it-yourself duplicates.

However some unimpressed critics have called labelled the latest fashion item “weird” and “hideous”, theNew York Postreports.

“It’s iconic,” raved fashion influencer Ava Salmaci, 23.

“It adds an elevated vibe to any outfit, especially in New York City, where I have the confidence to wear whatever I want.”

Ava Salmaci virally rocked her DIY reproduction of Schiaparelli’s braided hair necktie for her more than 600,000 social media followers. Picture: Ava Salmaci/TikTok

To re-create the designer creation without breaking the bank, Ms Salmaci twirled her own hip-length locks into a three-strand twine, forming a braid that served as the mane attraction of her pinstripe ensemble.

It comes after Hollywood icon Maggie Gyllenhaal, 47, turned heads in a similar look this month.

While walking the red carpet of CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas, the actress-turned-director donned Schiaparelli’s brown-haired braid, which snaked around her neck and down her chest, with a black jacket, slacks and a white collared shirt.

Maggie Gyllenhaal found herself on the business end of the internet’s ire following mixed reviews of her braided hair necktie. Picture: Getty Images

The bigwig’s tie-of-tresses, however, ignited a firestorm of controversy from cringing cyber critics — but social media shade can’t seem to generate enough rain to call off the brave braid’s posh parade.

Fellow actress, Selma Blair, tossed on the hairpiece for Schiaparelli’s haute couture show last summer.

The Legally Blonde star, 52, cut a casual swag for the cameras, sporting an oversized tan suit, a thick brown leather belt and a white top. She finished the ‘fit with the brand’s platinum-blond braided necktie as a cherry on top.

Selma Blair stunned in the honey-coloured hot commodity to the excitement of fashion fans everywhere. Picture: Getty Images

Tilda Swinton, too, rocked the plaited pièce de résistance at the Directors Guild of America in November.

Like her fellow A-listers, the 64-year-old Oscar winner paired the faux hair with a bespoke pantsuit — formerly masculinised menswear that’s now being commandeered by the glamorous likes of Rihanna and Melania Trump.

Tilda Swinton punctuated her power suit with Schiaparelli’s braided bauble last fall. Picture: Getty Images

Kamilah Mitchelson, a lifelong lover of the power suit, said the DIY braided hair necktie offers a splash of “sexy” and “exotic” pizzazz to her professional attire.

“It’s gives off confidence,” Mitchelson, 37, an executive assistant in finance from Park Slope, shared with the New York Post.

Inspired by Schiaparelli, the Brooklynite used synthetic wisps to whip up the workplace-friendly finery.

“In all the offices I’ve ever worked in, I’m always the best dressed,” Ms Mitchelson laughed.

It’s a chuckle being echoed by fashion-forward working gals worldwide.

“Hair is such a versatile medium,” model Alina Kossan, a 20-something from Berlin, told the New York Post.

“It’s a way to make a statement without having to invest in expensive clothing or accessories.”

Visuals of the bombshell’s braided necktie, for which she used the fruit of her own follicles, have amassed more than 2.7 million TikTok views.

“I love pairing it with a crisp button-down shirt and a blazer for a polished yet edgy look,” added Kossan.

Alaisha Tabina agreed that the braided hair necktie is “weird,” but said its surrealist edge gives the fashion world a much-needed breath of fresh air. Picture: Alaisha Tabina

Chelsea Muusha told The Post she gasped in excitement and glee after seeing the braided hair necktie debut during Schiaparelli’s fall/winter 2024–2025 show. Picture: Chelsea Muusha

Alaisha Tabina, a 21-year-old art student from Jakarta, Indonesia, agreed, hailing the hairy must-have as “new, fresh and weird,” and praising the look for making flat formal attire sing.

Chelsea Muusha, 21, of Johannesburg, South Africa, told the New YorkPost that the braided hair necktie can offer an “unexpected” pop of “campy magic” to an otherwise drab getup. “Hair is usually just on your head — so when it shows up in a completely different context, like around your neck as a tie, it shakes things up,” she said.

This story first appeared in the New York Post and was republished with permission