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ELLE reports that barrettes are returning to fashion alongside renewed interest in hair accessories and brooch-inspired styling. Experts suggest choosing polished materials and experimenting with placement; they also recommend added grip for fine hair that has trouble holding a clip.
Barrettes are receiving renewed attention as part of a broader interest in hair accessories, according to a 2026 ELLE report featuring advice from designer Jennifer Behr and stylists. Their recommendations center on treating clips as hair jewelry—choosing materials and shapes that suit an outfit, then using placement and styling to make the accessory feel intentional.
Behr, a hair-accessory designer, links the renewed interest to the brooch trend and a wider move toward maximalism in fashion. “We’re seeing all sorts of hair jewelry make a comeback,” she told ELLE. She advises choosing barrettes with materials and silhouettes that work with the jewelry and accessories a wearer already uses, and says brooches pinned in unexpected ways can provide inspiration.
Leslie Shores, a color specialist at Eric Marshall Salon in Nashville, recommends metallic and neutral finishes, including black, silver, gold and white, as alternatives to plastic clips, bright colors or bow decorations. For a more decorative look, she suggests printed designs that coordinate with the wearer’s outfit and skin tone. Behr points to crystals for sparkle and sleek metal forms for a more modern effect, while noting that delicate fabric designs are another option.
Placement can change the overall effect. Shores suggests wearing several clips on one side, positioning them unevenly, or placing a single clip farther back from the face. Clips can also sit vertically, at an angle or at the back of an updo rather than in a straight horizontal line. For shorter hair, she recommends clustering barrettes in a side-swept style. Behr describes a loosely swept half-up style with a few strands left around the face, as well as a side part with one side pinned back.
Styling Changes the Barrette Effect
The report’s practical value is that the trend is presented as an adaptable styling choice, not a single required look. Material, scale and placement can help a barrette coordinate with everyday clothing and jewelry, or make it a more decorative accent. The advice also gives readers options across hair lengths: a single clip, an asymmetrical arrangement, a cluster on shorter hair or a barrette placed into an updo.
The suggestions are guidance from named professionals, not evidence that every wearer will get the same result or that barrettes suit every hairstyle equally. Hold depends on hair texture and the clip, so a look that works on one person may need adjustment for another. That makes the report useful as a set of techniques to try, rather than a rulebook for wearing the accessory.
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From Brooches to Hair Clips
ELLE frames the barrettes’ return as part of a wider hair-accessory revival. Headbands, scrunchies and claw clips have remained familiar options, while barrettes, the report says, had been associated more with childhood. Behr’s comparison to brooch styling gives the accessory a different frame: a clip can be chosen and placed like a piece of jewelry rather than treated only as a practical way to hold hair.
The article presents suggestions from three professionals: Behr, Shores and Stephanie Angelone, a master celebrity stylist at RPZL Hair Extension & Blowout Bar in New York City. It does not provide sales figures, search data or a timeline showing when the renewed interest began. Its evidence is expert commentary and styling advice, so it supports describing a reported trend, not quantifying its reach.
““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 Revival?
The source does not quantify barrette sales, consumer interest or adoption, and it does not identify a specific launch, runway show or company announcement behind the renewed attention. The scale and staying power of the trend are therefore unclear. ELLE’s report establishes that the featured experts are seeing or recommending the style; it does not show how widely it has caught on.
Styling outcomes also vary. Angelone cautions that clips can slip in fine hair, and the report offers no product-by-product testing or guarantee that a particular barrette will hold. Readers may need to adapt the approach to their hair texture and the accessory’s fit.
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Testing Placement and Hold
The source identifies no upcoming event or further announcement tied to the trend. For readers trying the look, the next step is practical: choose a barrette that complements their clothing or jewelry, then test its hold and position with their preferred hairstyle. Soft waves, loose updos and side-swept styles are among the options named by the stylists.
For fine hair, Angelone recommends adding texture powder and lightly teasing the section before clipping it. Behr suggests another support method: placing two bobby pins in an X shape beneath the barrette. These are expert tips rather than guarantees, and the report gives no universal timeline for how long the accessory trend will last.
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Key Questions
What is driving renewed interest in barrettes?
Designer Jennifer Behr links the interest to the brooch trend and a broader move toward maximalism in fashion. The report does not provide data measuring how widespread the trend is.
How can I wear a barrette without making it look childish?
Stylist Leslie Shores suggests metallic or neutral finishes and recommends trying asymmetrical placement, several clips on one side, or a position farther back from the face. These are styling suggestions, not fixed rules.
Can I wear barrettes with short hair?
Yes. Shores suggests clustering several barrettes in hair swept to one side. The report notes that the number and arrangement can be adjusted to suit the wearer.
How can I keep a barrette from slipping in fine hair?
Angelone recommends texture powder and light teasing before clipping. Behr also suggests crossing two bobby pins in an X beneath the barrette to give it extra support.
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