In the case of holiday hair, sometimes bigger (and messier!) is better. And the cinematic and soft curls—created by international hair stylist Guido Palau for Bottega Veneta’s Fall 2013 runway show—are about as big and fabulously messy as they come this season. To get the look at home, “it’s all about taking the time to build up the foundation of your curls,” says Brennen Demelo, celebrity hairstylist and owner Brennen Demelo Studio in Toronto. “And not overdoing it.”

Demelo gives us his expert styling tips on how to achieve Bottega Veneta’s loose, pillowy curls for the holidays.

Do the prep work
In the morning, start by washing hair and blow drying with volumizing products to achieve the maximum height of your curl. But it’s crucial to have a smooth base when creating this look (especially for women with naturally wavy hair, as curls can resist being reshaped with a wand). “Figure out the type of curl that you want,” he says. “And be experimental with building it.”

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Get the soft curls
Make sure that you’ve blown out your hair as smoothly as possible—the curls will be difficult to hold on wet strands. Add in a texturizing powder to give grit to the hair, says Demelo. Determine the structure of your curl by working with the size of your waving wand. Keep in mind that a larger barrel leaves you with a looser wave, while a smaller wand creates a tighter curl.

Create a deep side part and divide hair into sections. Starting at the front, working toward the back, “hold the wand up vertically and wrap the hair around the wand,” he says, as opposed to rolling up the hair into the wand (be sure to wrap hair away from the face). Gently loosen each section out of the wand, and let cool.

“Keep the structure of the curl by pinning it with a bobby pin or clip.” As you make your way toward the back, tilt your head to the side and pull sections of hair forward to wrap around the wand.

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Read on to the next page for how to style the wavy hair from Bottega Veneta’s runway…

Now comes the tricky part—brushing out the wave. “It’s so important to brush out the curls to create a natural softness to them,” says Demelo. It’s also your chance to go back and re-shape curls that you want to appear tighter and more defined (aim for a natural ‘s’ movement). Just don’t worry about disheveling the hair too much. “It’s not about the perfect wave,” says Demelo. Besides, the curl has memory to it, he explains. “It will take back that shape.”

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Finish with a dry spray (try L’Oréal Professionnel Infinium Lumiere Extreme Hold hairspray) to hold the final look. “Avoid a wet spray, as that will change the structure of the hair,” he says. You’ll want to have a glossy finish to your soft curls. “It will bring out the texture of the hair.”

Bonus? Amazing second and third-day hair
The best part about putting in the prep work to achieve these soft curls is being able to sleep on it and work that into your look the next day. “You’ve already done the legwork,” says Demelo. “And if you wake up with a kink, I would just work that into the curl.” Grab your curling wand and quickly re-shape any sections that need it. Add in a dry shampoo to absorb any excess oils on the scalp.

Celebrity hairstyle: The ultimate in WAVY HAIR

And if you’re creating the wavy hair look in the morning for a holiday party at night, simply re-tease before heading out to add more life to it. And while the soft curls are a fresh take on the rigid, Hollywood glam curls, this Bottega Veneta hairstyle also works great as everyday hair, says Demelo. “It’s not overdone, but a loose and sexy wave.”

Read more:
5 never-fail holiday hair looks
Curly hair: 6 rules to live by
11 holiday hair ideas
The best tools for curling hair