Every few years, fashion seems to favor excess. Back in 2011, it was popular to wear numerous bracelets, a trend that harked back to the 80s. This look is often replicated with earrings and necklaces, a style that has been around since the dawn of punk rock. Now, it’s all about hair accessories, namely barettes.
For many, 2019 is the year of the "hair party" with barrette-stacking leading the charge. Although usually associated with young girls, the style has been embraced by designers like Zadig & Voltaire and Christian Siriano, who’ve featured models on the catwalk wearing several barrettes. Also, at designer Ashley Williams’ Spring-Summer 2019 show, models wore diamond slogan clips as they walked the runway. Some were combined, spelling out phrases like “social cosmic woman” and “happy sad.”
The trend has caught on, particularly with Instagram influencers and fashion editors. The key seems to be variety, combining barrettes of an array of shapes, colors, materials, and patterns. Easily collectible, since they take up little space, barrettes are a much simpler and affordable way to update your look. So rather than buying a new bag for each outfit, just stack a few barrettes to add some sparkle to your style.
Favorite brands include the upscale Lelet NY, which features a variety of gold and silver barrettes that are studded with diamonds and pearls. Meanwhile, Danish brand Kanel carries an array of colorful barrettes that recall the midcentury nordic style of Marimekko. Also, Scünci offers a collection from Julie Sariñana, named Sincerely, Jules. Sariñana is a Mexican blogger and influencer who has found international success with her clothing line Shop Sincerely Jules.
Proof of the popularity of barrettes is the number of likes they are getting on Instagram. Recently, Vanessa Hong of The Haute Pursuit wore three gold sculptural barretes from Lelet NY in a post, which has since garnered nearly 22,000 likes. And Leandra Cohen, founder of Man Repeller, shared a pic of Fanny Ekstrand wearing pearl, crystal and green clips that has earned almost 15,000 likes.
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Of course, barrettes run the gamut from luxury to drugstore dollar brands. Etsy is also a great source for custom-made barrettes that are surprisingly affordable. The key is to mix and match, but most of all to have fun, regardless of your budget.
