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About a week ago, we asked what kind of hair accessories were appropriate for the office. As always, the poll is still open, but the preliminary results are in — roughly 50% of you said that as long as the ‘do and the accessory was conservative, anything was ok as long as it worked for you, including jeweled elastic bands, claws, headbands, and more.
Another 34% of you thought that “fanciful minimal” best described it — simple, hair-colored type accessories from J.Crew. 13% of you thought bare minimal was best for the office — to the point that the elastic holding your hair back should match your hair color. Only 3% said that anything went, including the feathered headband we'd used to illustrate the quiz.
Psst: Below, find some of our favorite hair accessories for work as of 2024. Note that some of our long-standing favorite brands for quality, durability, comfort and styling include Ficcare and France Luxe. For more affordable options (which may not last as long), keep an eye out at Anthropologie, Ann Taylor, and J.Crew stores (including J.Crew Factory and Madewell). Also: Kat loves these flat elastics.
Some hair accessories we've featured recently include these!
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{related: hair accessories for grown women}
Commenters lauded a ton of different brands for hair accessories for professional women, including:
Goody Colour Collection was designed to match any color hair. Available at drugstores like Walgreens, Duane Reade, and Target (with limited availability at drugstore.com). Their collection includes pretty much everything you can think of — bobbypins, elastics, claws, clips, barrettes, and so forth. Pictured above: elastics for blonde hair.
One of our favorite brands has always been Colette Malouf. Available at Bergdorf Goodman, Henri Bendel, and other boutiques, the twice-yearly sample sale in New York is well worth a trip if you can spare the time. (This is one of the only brands we'll trust for more fanciful things — we're a bit bummed we couldn't find a picture to illustrate some of the more understated yet beautiful elastics and accessories with things like felt flowers and multi-colored glass. Pictured above: Brown leather teardrop ponytail holder, was $63, now $19 at Bluefly.com
A number of readers extolled the greatness of France Luxe, a brand we previously were unaware of. Sold at Nordstrom, a number of readers noted the “excellent quality” as well as the “comfort and durability.” Above: France Luxe Cutout Jaw Clip, available at Nordstrom.com for $34.
While we're mentioning Nordstrom, we will note that it seems to have the best online selection of work-appropriate clips and barrettes and claws. Check out, for example, Ficcare ‘Maximas' Hair Clip (pictured above).
Honorable mentions for where to look for hair accessories for professional women:
Other places to check for great hair accessories include J.Crew and H&M (surprisingly, neither have much online in this department!).
Readers, which are your favorite hair accessories for professional women? Let us know!
Kathy H
Brighton also has great, conservative hair accessories.
Lizbet
Does anyone know how to create the hairstyle featured in the main photo (and again with the bottom photo)? I always end up with the basic jaw clip/sort of messy twist do and would love to get something sophisticated like this one!
K
That looks like a simple french twist – her hair looks like it was a bit long for it, so they did a second twist with the extra hair.
http://beauty.about.com/od/hairstylephotogalleries/ss/holidayhair_2.htm
I have very straight, fine hair and it tends to look a bit messy on me too. It helps if I do it while wet. I think it works best with thicker hair maybe.
Lizbet
Thanks, K — especially for the link to a “how-to!”
EverSince
I risk being called snobby, no doubt, but here’s my two cents: A tasteful tortoise-shell patterned barrette, as pictured with the up-do above, is one thing, but plastic hair clips (“claw” clips) are plain lazy, if you ask me, and just look like plastic junk in your hair, even in their more expensive iterations. That’s just me, I guess, but I think those things are best confined to pulling your hair back to wash your face or, if you’re pushing it, to wear to the gym. We’re ladies – we can learn to use bobby pins! Can you imagine Jackie O in one of those things? Uh, no.