Luxury hair accessories designer Jennifer Behr says the brooch trend and a broader shift toward maximalism are driving a barrette revival. "We're seeing all sorts of hair jewelry make a comeback," Behr told ELLE.

What changed in the hair-accessory market?

Headbands, scrunchies, and claw clips have held their ground through recent years. Barrettes, by contrast, fell out of adult rotation. Behr, who runs the New York-based Jennifer Behr label, frames the accessory as jewelry for the hair. "Look for materials and silhouettes that are as sophisticated as the other jewelry or accessories that you wear," Behr said. "Lately, it's really fashionable to pin brooches in unexpected ways, so you can use that as inspiration for your barrette look. Hair can be a canvas for experimentation."

Which barrettes read as adult, not childhood?

Leslie Shores, a color specialist at Eric Marshall Salon in Nashville, gave a short list to avoid and a short list to favor.

Avoid:

• Plastic barrettes
• Bright colors such as hot pink
• Pieces trimmed with bows

Prefer:

• Metallic finishes in black, silver, gold, or white
• Printed designs when a pop of color is wanted
• Crystal-set or vintage-feeling pieces for sparkle
• Sleek metal shapes for a modern read

"If you want a pop, go for ones with print. I recommend ones that match your skin tone and outfit," Shores said.

What are designers offering right now?

Behr's eponymous line includes the Czarina Barrette, a modern silhouette covered in hundreds of hand-set crystals. The brand also produces silk chiffon butterfly barrettes hand-embroidered in India. "Our Czarina Barrette has a very modern silhouette but has hundreds of hand-set crystals, so it feels very chic. We also make silk chiffon butterfly barrettes that are hand-embroidered in India. Those are very light and delicate in the hair," Behr said.

How should stylists place the barrette?

Shores recommends soft waves or a high, loose updo to keep the look elevated. Multiple barrettes worn on one side beat a single piece, she said. A pair should sit uneven, one higher than the other and slightly back from the face. Vertical, angled, or rear-of-updo placements read as modern. A vertical row on each side delivers a '90s hipster effect.

On a bob, Shores suggests a side-swept cluster for a "'90s Margo Tennenbaum look, which I think is cool." Behr keeps the classic half-up, half-down in her rotation but updates it with loose face-framing pieces and a barrette at the back. "I also like to part my hair on the side and pull one side back, clipped with a barrette. It feels very 1920s to me," Behr said.

What about fine hair?

Most barrettes hold across textures. Stephanie Angelone, master celebrity stylist at RPZL Hair Extension & Blowout Bar in New York, flags thin hair as the exception. "Sometimes they can slip out if not secured tight enough. If you struggle with this, you can add some texture powder and do a light tease before applying it, so the barrette has a little extra anchor for hold, so nothing slips out," Angelone said. Behr's fix is mechanical: two bobby pins crossed in an X under the barrette.

What's the next move for the category?

The brooch-to-barrette pipeline, handcrafted embellishment, and the placement-driven styling promoted by Behr, Shores, and Angelone point to a category being rebuilt around jewelry-grade materials and deliberate placement rather than novelty shapes.