Hair Party

Barrette Stacking Is This Winter's Biggest Hair Accessory Trend

Stylish Instagram users are mixing and matching three or more hair clips at a time.

February 1, 2019

Two women show examples of wearing multiple barrettes at once.

Remember the "arm party" trend? It was about 2011 when wearing multiple, often mismatched bracelets — and perhaps a watch or two — became a pretty popular look. While layering wrist fandangles Iris Apfel-style hasn't exactly fallen out of vogue, the concept of wearing multiple accessories on a single body part seems to have ascended the body in more recent years, with folks piling on numerous necklaces and assembling an army of earrings and ear cuffs on their lobes and cartilage. And in 2019, it's apparent that the "hair party" is becoming a thing, thanks to the new barrette-stacking trend.

As predicted by Allure digital hair editor Jihan Forbes, hair accessories are experiencing a renaissance this year in the form of bows, creative multitasking (Ariana Grande wore earrings in her hair), and now, clips. But we're not talking about wearing just one clip or even layering a couple (though both looks are lovely). After designers like Zadig & Voltaire, Christian Siriano, and Ashley Williams sent models down the runway wearing at least three barrettes, it didn't take long for the idea to hop off the catwalk and onto Instagram.

Unsurprisingly, the multi-clip look is a favorite among influencers and editors, who are often the first to embrace and broadcast a burgeoning trend. But we're starting to see plenty of people — from plenty of different countries — give barrette stacking a spin. In most cases, they're making no effort to be matchy-matchy, playing up the crowded style with assorted shapes, colors, materials, and patterns.