It's not often I come across a hair trend that I actually want to adopt. While I appreciate the beauty of bob hairstyles and chic fringe trends, I've worn the same look my whole life (super-long, centre-parted balayage) and don't want to ever risk a different style. But over the past few weeks I've spotted a pretty major new hair trend bubbling, and it doesn't involve having to book in for a cut or colour appointment at all—it's just in the styling. According to my expert predictions, summer 2025 is set to be the season of piecey waves.
It all started a while back when I scrolled through the Paris Fashion Week street style looks. I became somewhat enamoured by Kate Moss's lived-in, model-off-duty piecey waves. She wore different iterations of the style across the week, but it was the slightly dishevelled look that she wore front row at Stella McCartney that won my heart.
And since we've headed further into the season, I've spotted piecey waves cropping up wherever I look—everyone from Alexa Chung to Katie Holmes and Rochelle Humes has been sporting the low-fuss, low-maintenance style. It is such a universally appealing look, in fact, that my beauty-director senses are telling me it's going to be this summer's dominating hair trend. Here's why I'm convinced the piecey waves hair trend is something everyone should be taking notes on.
What Are Piecey Waves?
To understand what piecey waves are you first need to understand what piecey hair is. "Picture groups of strands, or small defined sections of hair, that deliberately sit differently (in texture and/or shape, but usually quite subtly) from the overall style of the hairstyle—in pieces," explains Antonio Hector, hair stylist at Hershesons Belgravia. "It's almost like the hair falls into sections that break up the way the hair sits, with a bohemian vibe, almost like you’ve clawed your fingers through your hair and this effect left its soft mark."
Typically, piecey hair is referenced in relation to short hairstyles, such as cropped bobs and pixie cuts, but this new look is all about taking the lived-in nature of piecey hair and marrying it with casual waves. "Rather than a uniform, polished wave, piecey hair has a more organic and slightly tousled effect, where individual strands and sections are softly defined for a modern, effortless look," says Sam Burnett, founder of Hare & Bone salon.
Why Are Piecey Waves Trending?
So what exactly is it that makes me so certain piecey waves are going to be the defining hair look for summer? It's all in a general shift we are seeing towards lower-fuss, more relaxed, undone styles after years of high-maintenance glosses and glass-like finishes.
"There's a real appreciation for hair that looks chic but not overly 'done'—it’s about celebrating natural texture and movement rather than perfection. We’re also seeing a resurgence of '90s and early 2000s aesthetics, which often leaned into that slightly grungy, effortless wave—something Kate Moss herself epitomised then and still does now. Piecey waves feel versatile and wearable," confirms Burnett.
The Best Piecey Waves Hairstyles
Katie Holmes's piecey waves have a more dishevelled but voluminous vibe.
Proving that piecey waves can be polished too, Rochelle Humes's glass bob has a laid-back softness to it.
I have had this image of Hoyeon Jung's piecey look saved on my desktop for months to remind myself to show it to my stylist during my next hair appointment.
This look proves that piecey waves work for any and every hair length.
French bob meets piecey wave perfection.
Waves don't have be heat styled to achieve the look—straight styles can lean on air drying for a piecey finish.
Laura Harrier's subtle, piecey curtain bangs are a work of art.
This up-do on Lili Reinhart has an ethereal softness to it thanks to piecey waves and delicate flyaways.
Piecey waves have long been a chic way to deliver subtle texture to pixie cuts.
Blonde highlights and balayage can really boost the look of soft movement.
How To Style Piecey Waves
How you style piecey waves will, ultimately, depend on your hair texture, but Burnett insists it's essential you strike a balance between texture and separation.
Air dry or heat style: "Start by enhancing the hair's natural texture. You want to start with a great foundation. If your hair is naturally wavy, apply a lightweight mousse or sea salt spray to damp hair and let it air dry or diffuse. If you have straight hair, create soft waves by using a large-barrel tong, keeping the bends loose and irregular," he says. If you have naturally curly or coily hair, you'll want to start with a straightened look and then use "a curling tong or hair straightener to add soft bends". You can also use a hair waver to achieve your natural-looking waves.
Add product: Now it's time to create the piecey look with product. "A lightweight texturising spray, pomade or dry oil applied strategically to the mid-lengths and ends will help define sections without making the hair feel heavy," Burnett explains. You then want to use your fingers to separate and shape the individual pieces, rather than using a brush. "Focus on the face-framing pieces to create separation and lived-in texture," he says.
Comb your fingers through and finish off with a blast of texturising spray.
The Best Products for Piecey Waves
If your hair has a natural wave, work this styler through wet lengths and let your hair air dry for lived-in, natural texture.
This multi-use hair tool is a gamechanger. It has tong attachments if you want to create a loosely curled wave and a crimping waver that delivers kinked waves similar to Kate's Paris Fashion Week look.
A dry texturising spray just like this one is perfect for finishing off piecey waves without weighing them down.
A GHD hair straightener can be used to add loose, undone curls or create S-waves in the hair—something I have a feeling Kate Moss's hair stylist might have done to achieve the unique patterns in her waved pieces. To do this, hair is worked into an "S" shape with fingers and fed into the hair straightener, which comes down short, quick clamping movements to set the wave.
This hair pomade is exceptional for creating textured pieces.
