Hairpins, clothespins, headbands: forget them as you remembered them a few years ago, decorative and often over. Today they are back in their most essential, almost intimate version, the one that has been behind the scenes for years. For example, we are talking about the classic backstage clothespins: small, often colorful, functional and instantly recognizable. Accessories born not to be seen and that today instead take the whole beauty scene.
To understand this comeback we need to step back to the 1990s-obviously-an aesthetic that continues to dominate not only fashion but also beauty. And that’s where Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy comes in, back in the spotlight thanks in part to the interest rekindled by Love Story but also, above all, thanks to her minimal, clean, effortless style, seemingly simple but actually impossible to replicate without the help of the one real ingredient: attitude.
And it is precisely from that attitude that we can take inspiration, especially when it comes to accessories. Because it is they, today more than ever, that make the difference: details that complete the look or in some cases completely define it. This is the case, for example, of the zig-zag headbands seen on Miu Miu’s FW26 runway, worn by 90s icons such as Gillian Anderson and ChloĂ« Sevigny. Immediately after the show, they went viral: everyone wants them, everyone wears them, in an attempt to recreate that messy chic effect so natural and so studied at the same time. The same goes for the Carolyn Bessette-style tortoiseshell headbands, simple, brown and no frills. An accessory that seems invisible, but actually defines the whole look.
Among the messy hairstyles it is impossible not to mention another big comeback of recent times, the French comb, or French combs, available in a thousand variations, materials and sizes, they can be simple and minimal, in shiny or tortoiseshell resin, or more elaborate and decorative, becoming little jewels to be worn on the head. Although their comeback is recent-they have actually existed for over a century and originated in the early 1900s-they experienced a brief but intense renaissance in the 1980s and early 1990s, long before claw clips, rubber bands, and scrunchie conquered our daily routines. And if in the past they were considered discreet details, today their comeback makes them true protagonists of styling, capable of transforming even a simple hairstyle into a studied and sophisticated look.
Then there are the make-up clips, the backstage ones, with their technical and recognizable shape, have gone from being a work tool to a real statement. A little bit funny, a little bit fashionable, they are now everywhere and have become a must-have in this newsroom as well. Perfect for holding hair back while applying makeup, but also to be worn like that, without thinking too much about it, almost as if they ended up there by accident. They look casual but they tell a precise aesthetic. That of a less constructed and more authentic beauty, where even the simplest accessory can become the protagonist. The only rule: wear it with the right attitude.
[📸 Instagram: ninapark]
