Jingle all the way with a dazzling hair jewel
W ANT to get ahead? Get a hair pin! This is the latest news from Planet Fashion. It couldn’t be more timely as we hit the festive season and, for once, it’s an easy, inexpensive, surefire win in the sartorial stakes.
not only has the humble hair pin become, well, a whole lot less humble, from glittering crescent moons to constellations of crystal and colourful stones, it will make your hair a conversation starter. At least, that’s been my experience.
Take the recent Fashion Awards, the extravaganza at the Royal Albert Hall with the global fashion industry paying homage to its star talents.
I was lucky enough to borrow a beautiful, floral- dappled tulle dress by the British designer Simone Rocha — who happens to be one of the chief protagonists of the new hair look. So I went the whole hog and wore her pearl-encrusted hair pins.
The result? My hair, done up in a top-knot and festooned with jewels, has never received so many compliments.
Then, last week, at Chanel’s Metiers d’Art show in Hamburg, I got to wear a dazzling slide embedded with crystals and the CC logo.
And I wasn’t the only one: those who hadn’t adopted the sailor hat (on every model in the show and given to every member of the Press) had pinned up their hair with Chanel hair clips.
Hair embellishment has come of age, but it wasn’t always the case.
Until now, I never had much success with hair decoration. First, a brush with a floral hair grip aged nine to scrape back my bowl cut fringe. N
EXT, hair bobbles (remember them?), which got left all over my bedroom floor and jammed the Hoover.
Then came the art college era of the head scarf, when my hair was wrapped in a Kenzo wool number for two years.
These days, I must confess to hoiking up my hair with, dare I say it, a scrunchie, during my daily post-work ritual, before the make-up comes off — oh, the glamour!
So, why this sudden obsession with jewelled hair? First, everything about fashion right now says opulence of the disco-ball dazzle variety, not least because of the collective mood for an optimistic tonic.
If you can’t change the world, at least you can be distracted by an outrageously fun sequins-mothered jumpsuit. Or a dazzling hair brooch.
Decorative fashion has been the message of 2017 when you think of all the headline trends — sumptuous fabrics, glorious colours and, as for the clothes, even the cardigan got a makeover.
So we’ve been building up to showstopping hair accessories. Look at earrings — the bigger, bolder and more stonkingly chandelier-like, the better.
The trend has simply travelled up to the head. As regal as some of these adornments look, we’re yet to reach the summit of hair bling: let’s talk about tiaras in spring when we hit Royal Wedding hysteria. But, for now, how should you tackle hair ornaments? I’d suggest softly piling up or tying back longish hair before you add any embellishment, particularly where Alice bands are concerned, or you’ll risk looking like a Sloane Ranger.
The shorter your hair, the more modern your trimmings will look. But don’t overload — one piece will suffice.
I’ve got my eye on two hairbands — one studded with pearls by Altuzarra (now £136,
mytheresa.com), the other adorned with a bow and brooch by Zara (£15.99, zara.
com), easy to pull off for day with a polo-neck and smart jeans and chic for a night out with a black trouser suit.
The other big result is that they give the impression of having made an effort, when very little is actually required.
There is no age limit on hair décor. I’d say all grey tones would set off any crystal piece beautifully and add a luminescence to hair and skin tone.
And did I mention they make the perfect Christmas gift?
Rebecca Lowthorpe is fashion director of Grazia.