5 Bombshell Braid Ideas from Tomb Raider's Alicia Vikander

5 Bombshell Braid Ideas from Tomb Raider's Alicia Vikander

For Alicia Vikander, a well-placed braid is as natural as a slapdash topknot. The Oscar-winning actress has been personalizing the plait throughout recent months, affording her bevy of hairstyles an extra bit of romanticism while securing flyaways in infinitely pretty guise—and elevating every event, from the promotion of Tomb Raider to casual lunches out, to stylized heights.

Vikander began the braid parade late last year, at a gala in Spain, with a breezy chignon defined by a frame of French braids that edged from crown to the back of the head, and played well with a wing of black eyeliner. The same sensibility was applied for an afternoon out in L.A, a tautly-woven iteration culminating in a simple, nape-of-the-neck knot paired with a set of oversize sunglasses. The drama (and risk) factor was upped in Berlin via glossy lengths left loose save for a one-sided row of knotted plaits, the high-impact look furthered by a duo of inverse hoops and a crimson lip, while last week's London premiere of Tomb Raider saw a interminable, sectional ponytail that got its start with woven segments.

And today, a would-be simple LAX arrival was transformed into a vacation-minded moment with a glowing complexion, a set of graphic gold earrings, and a crown of polished plaits. The lesson? Make like the new Lara Croft and celebrate spring with an artful dose of power plaiting.