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White marabou-trimmed cocktail dresses, super-luxe purple puffer jackets and Pepto-Bismol pink capes. When it came to Karl Lagerfeld’s (posthumously presented) final collection for Chanel, there was plenty to savour.
But in among all the gorgeous pussy bow blouses and the brilliantly bejazzled boucle, I couldn’t help but notice a teeny tiny sliver of pearl-encrusted metal that, in my humble opinion, is about to become the standout commercial hit of the whole collection.
Not only are these ‘Chanel’ pearly barrette clips the most highly Instagrammable hair fodder we’ve seen since the crystal-embellished logo clips Ashley Williams launched in autumn/ winter 2017 (which have since been much ‘grammed, and much duped), but given that they are the most affordable pieces to purchase from the legend Lagerfeld’s final vision for Chanel, I’d hazard they’re set to become serious collectors items.
What better way to pay an Insta-tribute to the design supremo?
The clips were affixed and styled by star hairstylist Sam McKnight, a long-time Lagerfeld collaborator.
This is not the first time McKnight has styled up some fairly major hair accessories for the French house. For summer 2019, Chanel models hit the runway sporting messy buns adorned with blinging crystal-embellished ‘Double C’ logo clips.
For autumn, Chanel’s look was more refined. Alongside the pearly branded barrette were demure black velvet bows and black clips adorned with Chanel’s iconic Camelia flower.
Whichever clip you pick, rest assured this trend will be sticking around for a while.
Here are Sam McKnight’s tips on how to achieve the perfect Chanel half-up do:
- Using a tailcomb, place hair in a straight middle parting
- Mist a little Cool Girl (£10, shop it here) into the hair for a light texture.
- Spray each section with Modern Hairspray and for dry, frizzy hair apply L’Oreal TecniArt Liss Control (£12, shop it here) into the ends.
- For super straight hair, take sections and wrap it down the barrel of a large curling tong
- Take a section on both sides from the top of the ear directly straight up to the top of the head.
- Using your hands to smooth, pull back gently and tie with elastic into a small ponytail at back.
- Place hair accessories into the ponytail and grip in place.
- Finish with a light mist of Modern Hairspray
The best hair accessories on the autumn/ winter 18 runways
