Solange Dressed Up Her Thigh-Length Braid With A Retro Scrunchie

Solange fans, rejoice! The artist and Saint Heron founder just some dropped fresh new content via Instagram, and her so-called photo dump is a treasure trove of fashion and hair inspiration. A long time fan of protective and natural styles, the “Losing You” singer has served up a myriad of braids, twists, and afros over the years, yet she never seems to run out of creative beauty ideas. Case in point, the thigh-length braided ponytail featured in Solange’s latest crop of pics.

Dramatically long braids aren’t exactly new — nor are they much of a departure for Solange, who in the past has sported hip-length micro braids among other similar styles. That said, there was one major detail that made her recent version such a standout: An oversized scrunchie. Stars like Bella Hadid, Selena Gomez, and Hailey Bieber have been quietly bringing back the go-to ‘90s hair accessory over the last few years, but the "Cranes in the Sky" singer might have taken it to fashionable new heights. Or rather, new lengths.

In the photo, Solange’s thigh-grazing ponytail — composed of two juicy, intertwined braids — is paired with a sheer, avant garde dress by designer Issey Miyake. The garment’s high neck and intricate pleating at the top practically beg for an upswept hairstyle. Whereas other stars might take the opportunity to wear their hair in a sleek top knot, a ‘90s updo, or even just a more straightforward ponytail, the Grammy-winning artist opted for a less expected route, as usual. Her choice to don mile-long braids dressed up with a scrunchie is the perfect example of what makes her style so utterly refreshing.

But Solange’s epic braided ponytail isn’t the only worth-copying hairstyle included in her barrage of new photos, which also feature more equally high fashion, all-black looks by the likes of Gabriela Hearst and Junya Watanabe. There’s also a perky, blunt-cut ponytail, chunky twists, and of course her signature fluffy, brushed-out curls. So many reasons to bookmark this post.

Fans also might have gotten a sneak peek at what the artist, who was recently included in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s “Flight into Egypt: Black Artists and Ancient Egypt, 1876–Now” exhibition, looks to for her own hairstyle inspiration. Among the pics she posted on Feb. 5 is a shot of an iPhone photo album filled with images of ‘90s updos and cornrows as well as a handful of LaToya Jackson looks. The album is titled “Mane Gamez” and Solange tagged hairstylist Jawara in the photo, so it’s possible the two have been collaborating on more retro looks to come. But while you wait for her next crop of content to drop, you might want to dust off that scrunchie in your drawer and get it back into rotation.