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ELLE reports that barrettes are returning to the hair-accessory mix, a shift designer Jennifer Behr links to the brooch trend and a wider move toward maximalism. Stylists recommend treating barrettes as hair jewelry, choosing designs that suit your outfit and texture, and trying less conventional placements.
Barrettes are reappearing among current hair accessories, according to an ELLE report that gathers styling advice from designer Jennifer Behr and salon professionals. Their recommendations recast the clip as hair jewelry: choose materials and shapes that complement an outfit, and try placements beyond the familiar clip at the side of the face.
Behr, a designer known for luxury hair accessories, attributes the renewed interest to the brooch trend and what she describes as a move toward maximalism in fashion. She told ELLE that hair jewelry is returning, and suggested using the way people wear brooches in unexpected places as inspiration for barrettes. The report does not provide sales figures or other data measuring the trend’s scale.
Leslie Shores, a color specialist at Eric Marshall Salon in Nashville, advises choosing metallic or neutral shades such as black, silver, gold and white for a more understated look. She suggests avoiding plastic clips, very bright colors and bows when aiming for a more grown-up style, and says a printed option can add color. Her advice is to coordinate the clip with the wearer’s skin tone and outfit.
Design choices can range from crystals and vintage-inspired details to sleek metal shapes. Behr described her Czarina Barrette as a modern silhouette set with hand-placed crystals, and also cited light silk-chiffon butterfly barrettes embroidered in India. These are examples from her own line, not independent product recommendations or evidence that shoppers need a particular brand to follow the trend.
Placement and hairstyle also shape the effect. Shores suggests adding a clip to soft waves or a loose high updo, wearing several on one side, or setting clips at uneven heights rather than symmetrically. Barrettes can sit vertically, at an angle, or at the back of an updo. For short hair, she recommends clustering clips in a side-swept section; the report describes that styling as reminiscent of the 1990s.
Behr’s options include a polished half-up, half-down style with the clip at the back, or a side part with one side pulled back. For a looser version of the half-up look, she suggests leaving a few strands around the face. The point in both approaches is to treat placement as a styling choice, rather than relying on one standard way to wear a barrette.
Hold can depend on hair texture and the clip. Stephanie Angelone, a master celebrity stylist at RPZL Hair Extension & Blowout Bar in New York, says fine hair may have trouble keeping some barrettes in place. She suggests applying texture powder and lightly teasing the hair for grip. Behr offers another option: cross two bobby pins in an X beneath the barrette, then clip over them. These are styling suggestions, not guarantees that every clip will stay secure in every hair type.
Styling Barrettes Beyond Nostalgia
The report matters to readers because it translates a broad accessory trend into practical choices: what materials to look for, where to place clips and how to address slipping. Barrettes can be worn as a small finishing detail or grouped as a more visible styling feature, so the advice offers several ways to adapt the trend rather than prescribing one look.
Its broader fashion point is that hair accessories can be treated like jewelry, with choices coordinated to clothing and other accessories. That framing can help readers use barrettes already in their collection or decide what design might suit their style. The article’s recommendations are expert guidance, however, not evidence that every wearer or retailer is seeing the same trend.
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From Childhood Clip to Hair Jewelry
ELLE frames barrettes as accessories that had receded from attention while headbands, scrunchies and claw clips remained familiar options. The report presents their renewed visibility as part of a wider return of hair adornment and connects it to brooch styling. That account is a fashion-editorial assessment; the source does not establish when the shift began or quantify how widely it has spread.
The advice draws on perspectives from Behr, Shores and Angelone, covering design, placement and hold. It spans different hair lengths and styles, from short cuts and side-swept looks to updos and half-up hairstyles. ELLE also notes that its product coverage is based on editorial research, testing or approval and says content made in partnership with advertisers is marked as such.
“We’re seeing all sorts of hair jewelry make a comeback.”
— Jennifer Behr, hair-accessory designer, speaking to ELLE
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How Broad Is the Comeback?
The source offers expert observations and styling advice but no sales data, search trends or survey results to show how common barrette use is, or whether interest is growing across the wider market. Behr’s link to brooches and maximalism is her interpretation of the fashion shift, not a measured cause.
The report also does not compare how specific clip designs perform across hair textures, lengths or thicknesses. A barrette’s grip may depend on its construction and the hair it is used on; the suggested pins, texture powder and light teasing may help, but the source does not present controlled testing or guarantee a result.
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Choose a Clip and Test Its Hold
For readers trying the look, the practical next step is to start with the hairstyle and outfit, then choose a material, shape and placement that fits both. A single metal clip can keep the effect subtle; a cluster or crystal design makes it more noticeable. On fine hair, Angelone’s texture suggestion or Behr’s crossed-bobby-pin method may help, though the best option will depend on the clip and individual hair.
ELLE’s report does not announce a product launch, a formal industry milestone or a future event to watch. Whether the renewed attention translates into lasting demand remains to be seen; the article provides expert styling guidance rather than a forecast or market measurement.
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Key Questions
What is driving the renewed interest in barrettes?
Designer Jennifer Behr told ELLE she connects the comeback to the brooch trend and a wider move toward maximalism. That is her interpretation; the report does not provide data identifying a single cause.
How can I wear a barrette without a childhood-style look?
ELLE’s experts suggest treating it as hair jewelry: choose a metal, crystal or printed design that works with your outfit, and try an angled, vertical, off-center or back-of-updo placement. These are options rather than rules.
How can I help a barrette stay in fine hair?
Stylist Stephanie Angelone suggests adding texture powder and lightly teasing the hair for grip. Jennifer Behr recommends crossing two bobby pins in an X beneath the clip. Neither method is guaranteed for every hair type or barrette.
Can people with short hair wear multiple barrettes?
Yes. Leslie Shores recommends stacking clips in a cluster on a side-swept section of shorter hair. Clip size, weight and hold may affect what works best for an individual style.
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