When hair star James Pecis [see today's The Professional] got his exceedingly able mitts on Bambi’s mane, things took an unexpected turn. “I wouldn’t say that this is the hairstyle I thought of instinctually,” James grinned, surveying the twin inverted braids he’d created out of a series of square knots, which peaked, horn-like above Bambi’s temples. “I like them!” Bambi laughed, lightly tugging on the ends while she mugged for the camera. James' first look for the Aussie model was more 'traditional'—a tight, asymmetrical cornrow that ended at the base of her skull in thick, rope-like coils, which James had secured with pins. “You pull hair from one side, instead of both sides—I just played with different partings, different directions that you can pull the hair in,” he explained, adding that, “Sometimes, I think when you do braids or cornrows, it gives off a ‘strong woman’ vibe, so you need to keep it a bit soft to balance out the look; they’re tough, but tough in the right way.” The second style—twin, peaked knotted braids—was more off-the-cuff. “They’re really basic: I just tied square knots into the hair—inspired by sailor knots, like in friendship bracelets. Bambi is such a pretty girl, I feel like if we went in with really heavy products, it’d be too hard of a look.” As for a ‘do we’d spotted on a few runways, which James identified as a “basket weave with the hair down the back,” James wrinkled his nose. “It’s a little bit much,” he said. “That’s a beaver tail. I think the best styles usually end up happening when you’re on your way to something or taking something down. You just have to know when to stop and say, ‘Actually, that looks cool.’ That’s when you find something really great.”

Bambi Northwood-Blyth photographed by Emily Weiss in New York in September 2012.