I Wore '90s Hair Accessories for a Week
Like our clothing (hi fanny packs), TV shows (hi Sabrina the Teenage Witch), and even our photographs (hi disposable camera filter), the beauty industry has fallen for '90s nostalgia. Hard. From Clueless nail polish to Saved by the Bell lipsticks, it seems every other week a beauty brand comes out with a collection inspired by the decade.
It's not only mass or Insta-famous brands on board, but high-fashion runways and celebrity style icons, too. '90s hair styles and accessories, in particular, are long-forgotten friends I've started seeing more and more. There's the return of snap clips seen on the likes of VS Angel Elsa Hosk and many an influencer, claw clips at Alexander Wang's fall 2018 runway show, comb-headbands at Prabal Gurung fall 2018, and scrunchies resurrected by Mansur Gavriel for spring 2017. Meanwhile, celebrities have been wearing their hair in high ponytails with tendrils left out, exposed bobby pins, and extra thick headbands. It has started to feel like we were back in the golden era of Goody and I'm 100 percent here for it.
Growing up in Queens in the '90s and early aughts, decorating my hair was my highest point of pride. Attending Catholic school from pre-K through eighth grade also meant learning how to express myself in spite of my uniform, and the rule that nail polish and makeup were absolute no-nos, too. Hair was the one way we could cultivate some individuality, so you better believe the girls showed out. Sparkly clips, crimps, curls, bubble pigtails, french braids, headbands, hair wraps, and colorful hair ties-we all participated in this parade of accessories. Pre-YouTube tutorials, I spent hours in front of the mirror with a photo of Britney Spears trying to replicate her butterfly clip look.
A post shared by Kristina Rodulfo (@kristinarodulfo) on Apr 12, 2018 at 12:46pm PDT
Time passed, as it does, and accessorizing your hair became less and less cool. Aside from the fact that the baubles, especially any with glitter and color, felt juvenile, the rise of "effortless" hair took over. Think: Gisele's model-off-duty body, or the influencer-loved, lived-in texture that's a signature of hairstylist Anh Co Tran. No longer was it cool to visibly try-the goal was to wake up with perfectly messy (but polished!) waves and bends. Top knots were the status quo.
I fell for "effortless" too. Throughout all of college and several years after, I rarely put a heat tool to my strands and owned exactly zero hair accessories. When I started noticing their comeback, I got excited, like how the internet's Ross and Rachel fans do whenever a Friends reboot or reunion is rumored. Seeing Lizzie McGuire crimps on Gigi Hadid or claw clips on a fashion week runway had me thinking about my hair in a way I hadn't since I was a tween. I wanted to get creative.
Are we back to trying? Do these '90s hair accessories still work in 2018? Do they work IRL or just look cute for the 'gram? These are some questions I mulled over as I decided to start my adventures as a walking #TBT. Ahead, read on for what happened when I tried wearing five different, very '90s hair accessories for a week.
"Oh my gosh I love your hair-it's like my dream look as a tween," a colleague greeted me when I showed up to work with old school snap clips. I toyed between wearing them either on two sides with a middle part, or as two clips off to one side part. I took an Instagram poll to make a final decision-and there was a lot of fanfare either way. People just liked seeing snap clips again, period:
"Big yes."
"Yes this one!"
"ISSA LOOK AND I LOVE IT."
"Sooo cute - would use these clips all the time for dance recitals and stuff haha when bobby pins didn't cut it!."
"Issa yes."
"Cute!!!!"
"Love them! They need to become cool again because they're so easy to wear don't you think? Like this even better!"
Would I wear this again?
Yes! This is definitely one of the more wearable looks and easiest to pull off. Will people still be wearing it in a year? Probably not. But, I'll ride the retro wave while it's in high tide and take all the cute selfies while I can.
I couldn't get past wearing a headband without thinking of A) Blair Waldorf and B) Cringe-y Lifetouch school photos of myself from elementary school. It just felt too retro for me. But, I persevered and went the whole day with one on. "I'm noticing a theme here," my little sister texted me when she a saw me in the accessory. "Are you wearing this for real or for a story?" I guess that means that for me, a headband wasn't a particularly natural-looking fit. Indeed, it felt a bit prim and proper for my taste-especially since I wore it with slicked straight hair.
Would I wear this again?
I appreciated having my hair pulled back and not in my face as I worked in front of my computer all day. Headbands as a function are genius. As a look, I'll probably save it for Gossip Girl cosplay.
This experiment wouldn't be complete without the simplest, yet undeniably '90s, of accessories: the scrunchie. I wore it high on my head, Lisa Price from Saved by the Bell-style, and with two layered for extra bouncy lift. "Your whole look today is so cute," a colleague commented. I was wearing wide-legged jeans and a pink sweater-an exact outfit I'm sure I wore the week prior to no fanfare. "Love the scrunchie vibe."
Over on Instagram stories, I asked friends how they felt about the scrunchie comeback. People had a lot of reactions-all positive. Here's a couple:
"LOVE IT!"
"Love it. You look gorgeous girl!" "
"YES! I've been hoarding scrunchies for months now waiting for them to be a thing again."
"Oh yes!!! Wearing my velvet ones 24/7."
Others elaborated on the benefits of making the switch to scrunchies over regular hair elastics:
"Love it! As a long hair girl, I've been wearing scrunchies for years-I think it doesn't 'dent' my hair the way hair-ties do."
"Amazing-good for your hair, gives a lot of structure to a simple pony, especially when my hair was waist length and worn straight and sleek."
Clearly, scrunchies have a fanbase. I quickly joined the club. I did love how the pop of color looked against my black hair up on top of my hair, and the way it made my ponytail feel less limp than usual.
Would I wear this again?
This is an easy yes. Scrunchies are so practical!
I picked the trusty old claw clip because I hadn't used one for ages until Alexander Wang and hair stylist Guido Palau resurrected them on the runway in February. I used to wear one to secure a french twist with hair left out at the top like fireworks (remember that?) It was the look for some time-and then slowly faded into a more utilitarian role kept at home.
I used the clip to hold up a half-updo. To make things feel even more '90s, I crimped my hair using Drybar's new Big Crimpin' Crimping Iron. It brought me right back to elementary school. I had forgotten how much crimps added volume to your hair, so my hair was huge. In a way, that made it more fun to play with. At work, my colleagues felt compelled to touch my hair. "Whoa-I hadn't seen crimps in ages," one said. Another just reacted, "Wow, you're really committing to this."
Would I wear this again?
The claw clip I still wear all the time. The crimps, on the other hand, were a fun throwback but definitely not something I'd incorporate into my regular look. As soon as I finished the work day and had to head out into the N.Y.C. streets, I hid my crimps in a large topknot on top of my head.
This was the most tricky of the hair accessories to pull off because they're just so obnoxious. Bright yellow, pink, blue-they don't exactly go with my very New York, muted wardrobe. I felt compelled to pick the brightest thing in my wardrobe to match. Holding these clips in my hand immediately brought me back...then stumped me. They're not functional whatsoever: the springs are not strong enough to hold up a style. They're purely decorative and too saccharine for my personal taste, but I soldiered on, curious to see how the most out-there of '90s hair accessories would fare today.
I walked into Starbucks and the barista immediately complemented me. "That hair is so cute!" she said, without a hint of irony. I walked into my office building and immediately hid because I saw a cute guy heading into same elevator as me. We said hi, had some small talk. I don't think he really noticed but I was more self aware (self conscious?) about my '90s hair experiment in that moment than I had been the entire week. Butterfly clips are cute. But not sexy. I don't have that manic pixie dream girl vibe going for me either, so wasn't entirely sure how well I pulled it off. My Instagram inbox, however, was very encouraging:
"Still so cute!!! I'm here for it ALL."
"Omg I love this tho!"
"OMG YES!"
A quick, totally scientific Instagram poll told me 90% of responders were into the clips while 10% said "Pass."
Would I wear this again?
Despite the support, I think this is one look better left in middle school.
I have never been a fan of the comb-headband, even when it was hot. My straight hair could never hold it in place, so the little spikes would just slide further and further down my head until I basically had a choker on. I did, however, always like the sporty vibe of the headband and was delighted to see its comeback on the runway at Prabal Gurung's fall 2018 show. On Bella Hadid, it looked chic. As hairstylist Anthony Turner described backstage, the idea was to elevate a hairstyle you'd expect to see on someone ready to workout. It was a stylish subversion.
On me, it was just meh. I wore it in a low bun just as the models did, but looked sloppy instead of chic.
Would I wear this again?
It's a no for me, but I still took a ton of photos for the 'gram anyway.
That's a common thread here-each of these accessories may vary in use, relevance to 2018 style, and function, but they are all Instagram bait. The internet thrives on nostalgia, and so do our internet personas. Will these trends stick around? No. But, when they fade, I'll hold on to the idea of "trying" with my hair. There's too much fun to be had.
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