Half Up, Half Down in Half a Second

My hair has two ideal personas: surfer, and Blair Waldorf.

The surfer thing works out pretty well for me and my hair, considering the fact that neither of us surf. In the summer, it’s a little bit wave-y, a little bit too long, a little bit in need of a wash but because beach is implied, “dirty” is not. This takes a turn for the worse every fall.

By mid-September I look like a deranged hippie. What was seen as endearingly tangled just a month prior quickly becomes an investigation into whether or not I even know what a hairbrush is, which is then followed by the inevitable haircut that sends my mane into a confused triangle of fluff and mayhem until it’s able to put on a little bit of winter weight.

This stage is hard. It’s similar to growing out bangs but even worse because it involves an entire head. The whole team has to get on board, and we (my hair and I) are not about to wake up for a blowdrying session 5 days a week. At the same time, there’s something about autumn that makes me want to appear more ladylike. Polished. More I-eat-my-yogurt-on-the-steps-of-the-Met, less I-still-have-sand-in-my-scalp-from-last-year.

I came across the solution by accident when I was sitting in car with my dad. He has weird habits, like brushing the fringe on carpets with a teeny broom and clipping electrical chords together with little butterfly claws that he buys from the drugstore to keep everything tidy, and for the first time in my life the latter came in handy when I absentmindedly used one to pull back my post-trim hair.

It was a revelation. It took less than one second and I instantly looked put together. I felt — dare I say it — a little bit like Blair Waldorf, which opened up a whole world of accessorizing outfits to my hair clips, my go-to being anything plaid by this hair brand called France Luxe. They have a whole bunch of stuff (like scrunchies, in case you just read 80s hair band instead of hair brand, although if you’re sticking with the prep school vibe then may I point you in the direction of this tartan pony holder).

May I pause to point out that Cara Delevingne’s doing the half-up hair on the cover of October W, and at Céline the models wore theirs 50/50 too.

If you have super thick hair, a wide barrette is the way to go. (I am part-horse and this one can hold everything back at once, if I need it to.) The plaid bobby pins are better if you want to get creative (make an X, use 3 in a row, use 20 in a row, you do you).

Finally, these long oval ones look like little plaid surfboards. Wearing them is like an homage to that summer surfer-even-though-I-don’t-surf persona…even if these barrettes make me feel more like a girl who eats yogurt on the steps of the Met. Yogurt or a gigantic soft pretzel. Probably the pretzel.

Part of a collaboration with The Finest Accessories, Inc.