Piled Up & Pinned Hairstyle And How To

If there’s a middle ground between being stylishly done and carelessly undone, this 2012 women’s hairstyle occupies it. Elegant to a tee, it doesn’t require precision or complex tools (bobby pins are your friend – and lots of them) but it does require a little finesse to pull off that undone-done look of effortless chic. Our guide to the piled and pinned hairstyle takes you through each of the steps.

Hair type suited to: straight hair, relaxed curly hair & wavy hair.
Hair length suited to: mid-length haircut or long hair.
Hair colour suited to: all colours and complexions. 

Shoot credits

Model: Sophie Van Den Akker , Chadwick Models
Photographer: Kelly Defina at kellydefina.com
Makeup artist: Shev Kelly for Napoleon Perdis
Hair: Annika Bowen @ Annika’s
Stylist: Mercy Watson



On model Sophie Van Den Akker, hair stylist Annika Bowen used little product. If your hair is cooperative, all you really need for this style is some bobby pins and a spritzing of hairspray.
The style is best for short to shoulder-length hair, and works well with natural curls as well as straight hair.
Follow the steps below to create the look for yourself.

Make sure hair is prepped first. This style is great when hair is a little dirty (for example the second day after it’s been washed.)

Divide the hair into three sections. These sections don’t need to be neat, as this hair style is all about quick, loose and messy. The three sections should be:
1. ear to ear at back nape section
2. horse shoe section from recession to recession
3. the middle section left

Starting at the bottom section, pull the hair into the centre, scrunch into the nape and pin where your fingers are holding the hair. The pinning should be fairly haphazard.

Continuing to the next middle section, scrunch and pin the hair into place.

For the top section, slightly twist and quiff up the hair (you can create as much or as little height to suit your face shape). Pin the quaffed front section in place to complete the updo.

To finish, spray with hairspray.  

The finished look

Our shoot with Sophie Van Den Akker paired the piled up pinned hairstyle with smokey midnight blue eyes for a look that’s best for after hours. For a daytime take pare back the face with nude makeup, a splash of fresh white eyeshadow, or simple black liner and pink lips.

Styling variations

This style can work with some embellishment. If you want to create a free-spirited version dot some flowers through the pinned sections of hair.
Experiment with different products for different levels of texture. Try sea salt spray or a wax product to create extra texture before pinning up the hair.