All grown up: hair accessories have gone beyond the schoolyard and are now the perfect finishing touch
Photographed by Duncan Killick, styled by Kaila Matthews, Vogue Australia, October 2019.
If Prada flirted with the arrival of hair accessories during the spring/summer collections, courtesy of those weighty logo-stamped Alice bands, then come autumn/ winter ’19/’20 designers were positively loved-up. From barrettes and clips to ribbons, brooches and headbands, every variation of hair accoutrement was sent down the runway, stamping out the weary notion that an accessorised mane should remain within the confines of the schoolyard.
“Nonsense” is what designers and hairstylists at Dolce & Gabbana and Jeremy Scott said when they topped models with oversized Minnie Mouse bows that stood to attention at the crowns of their heads. Elsewhere, Simone Rocha seemed to be coveting antique-style barrettes that looked as beautiful as they were functional; holding back wispy strands or adding decadence to cropped styles.
If all that still appears a little too kitsch, then leave it to Chanel to convince you otherwise. In Paris this season, legendary hairstylist and backstage stalwart Sam McKnight took head dressing to new ultra-chic heights. You would be hard pressed to find a person in the front row who didn’t imagine the Chanel-emblazoned crystal clasp (pictured right) holding together a future hairstyle. And, if that wasn’t your jam, there was a wardrobe full of similarly chic styles to obsess over. “Sparkly hair slides, ribbons, brooches and camellias adorned the simple, clean, healthy hair,” noted McKnight backstage.
Where headbands were concerned, it seemed to be a case of the bigger the better. In characteristic fashion, Balmain obliterated any sugary-sweet implications with a tough-yetpolished take on the phenomenon via a metal band that resembled a super-sized piece of jewellery. Meanwhile, at Shrimps and Haider Ackermann, traditional bands that would make Blair Waldorf proud were made new again with intricate embellishment that sat neatly from ear to ear.
That’s a point to note about up-top accoutrements this season: it’s not only okay to go bold, it’s encouraged. “Think of your hair accessory as an extension of your style or outfit,” says Ana Piteira, creative director of accessory brand Valet, who notes its colourful Kelly clips are bestsellers. “Depending on your personal style, this may lead to clashing colours and an abundance of clips scattered across the head – which we love – or the use of a single clip to accentuate and add interest to a more demure outfit.”
Whether you choose one or many, there are a few simple styling methods that will keep a hair accessory in place all day. Where clips and barrettes are concerned, Matt Jones, styling educator at Edwards & Co., says some simple backcombing adds necessary grip. “If you have particularly slippery or shiny hair, try adding a little texturising powder to give more hold,” Jones says. “A hot tip to getting a ribbon to stay around a ponytail is to actually tie the ribbon onto the hair elastic first, then secure the pony and finally tie the bow.”
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And if those inevitable schoolyard connotations start creeping back into your subconscious, it pays to think about hair fixtures the same way you might an It bag or statement shoes. “I’m looking forward to wearing my hair clips with tie dye, denim and a chunky sandal come summer,” says Piteira. “It’s about taking the idea and applying it to the modern day.”
This article originally appeared in Vogue Australia’s October 2019 issue.