Fall is officially upon us, and that means so is our other favorite “F” word: FASHION. If you’ve caught any of the action on the runways you might be thinking: how the “F” (see what we did there??) do I translate these crazy styles into my everyday life? So we asked our Hairstylist-in-Chief Alli Webb, the beautiful founder of Drybar…and you’ll be glad to hear that, yes, there is a way!

I was so happy to get the opportunity to attend some great shows this season, including Rebecca Minkoff and Alice & Olivia, both whom I love. The experience reminded me how we all derive so many of our trends and daily looks from the runway.

I’ll never forgot the scene in The Devil Wears Prada when Meryl Streep curtly explains to Ann Hathaway (who was still a clueless mess) how the blue tweed sweater she is wearing from the Gap was actually inspired by the pages of Vogue magazine — and, ultimately, the fashion runways. “It’s sort of comical how you think you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing a sweater that’s been selected for you,” she says. So mean, but so true!

Well, the same goes for the often funky, far out and avant garde hair styles that we see each year on the runway. I have to admit, I have been to a few fashion shows where the hair was so incredibly abstract and unique that it was near impossible to see how in the world it could translate to an everyday working girl’s life. But regardless of how out there the styles may be, there’s always some kernel of inspiration that trickles down to the mainstream. (Luckily, however, I am happy to report that I saw lots of wearable hair on the magical runways in NY this year!)

Alli holding down the fort at Drybar’s Manhattan Beach location.

At Drybar, we offer many styles including the Mai Tai, our messy beachy look, which actually showed up all over the runway this season. While a lot of what we saw on the models was a touch more risque with a comb-over-esque severe side part or a rainbow of pastel colors throughout, this messy undone look is not only inspiring but can be spruced up a notch to suit our everyday lives. As the founder of Drybar, I am admittedly very very fortunate to be able to have my hair blown out professionally a few times per week (I know, don’t hate me!) but for $35-40 you can get this perfectly messy look for less. I just feel best with the confidence that comes from knowing my hair looks as if I just walked off the beach (yet happen to have those elusive beachy waves). Despite being a hair stylist myself, this is one look I always have a hard time achieving myself.

So if you are like me and like to take subtle cues from the runways, be sure to give “The Mai Tai” a try!

Alli Webb is the founder and hair mastermind behind Drybar, the exclusive, all-style, no-attitude, high-design shop for blow-dries only. Drybar features fifteen locations in Southern California, Arizona, Texas, Georgia and NYC, with more on the way! Before moving into professional hairstyling and mommy-dom, Alli attended the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and began her career in fashion working for designer Nicole Miller in New York City.