Bad-hair days are a matter of perception. As muggy temperatures and burning sun become a daily fact of life, women fret and fuss with combs, conditioners and spritzes.

Designers, however, see tangles and frizz in a different light. At many shows at the New York spring collections, hairdos were purposely out of control. The fashion-forward aspired to the just-tumbled and no-time-to-shampoo looks. Some stylists rediscovered bobby pins as a hair ornaments and showed them with evening gowns.

There aren't many rules left to break.