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Prom Hairstyles: Prom Hair Accessories

Introduction

Beyonce Knowles 2004 Grammy Awards

Monty Brinton/CBS CBS Broadcasting All Rights Reserved.

As I reported in my Prom Hairstyles Trend guide, prom hairstyles generally tend to follow the design trends from the major seasonal catwalks with celebrity hairstyle trends thrown into the mix.

The Golden Globes, Grammy and Oscar Awards also play a significant part in dictating the hottest styles. These same awards have a major impact in defining the latest accessory trends.

Several years ago Drew Barrymore appeared at a major awards show with fresh daisies tucked into her hair. In short order daisy motifs exploded on everything from hair accessories to necklaces, earrings and bracelets.

The simple act of wearing a gorgeous hair accessory can start a major accessory trend that trickles down to the season's Prom and weddings.

Thanks to Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron at the recent Golden Globe Awards and Beyonce at the Grammy awards, hair accessories are more popular than ever for completing the perfect Prom ensemble.

Like the importance of selecting the perfect shoes and purse to match your gorgeous gown, it is important to select the best hair accessories which compliment your total look.

Prom Hair Accessory Looks:

Look for the following prom hair accessories to dominate for the upcoming season:

1. Headbands Are Golden

Nicole Kidman 2004 Golden Globe Awards

Chris Haston NBC All Rights Reserved.

Fashion trendsetter Nicole Kidman recently moved headbands to the top of accessory pack when she strolled down the Golden Globe red carpet wearing a glorious golden headband wrapped seductively around her undulating waves and ringlets.

Encrusted with tiny sparkling crystal gems, the headband was the true star of the evening.

Needless to say, the next day the fashion and beauty world was abuzz with the hot new hair accessory. Headbands, especially the soft, courture bands like Nicole was wearing, are officially sizzling hot for 2004.

L.Erickson USA - 3" Scarf Headband - 100% Silk Charmeuse - ChocolateSeveral well known accessory designers like L. Erickson, EVITA PERONI, Jane Tran and Frank & Kahn are playing with many versions of this new Kidman headband style.

(Photo above of L.Erickson USA - 3" Scarf Headband - 100% Silk Charmeuse - Chocolate)

L.Erickson USA - 1 1/2" Scarf Headband - 100% Silk Charmeuse - Mocha SwirlL. Erickson has been doing the soft Dupioni and 100% Charmeuse silk bands for some time in response to the current popularity of romantic and sultry accessories.

(Photo above of L.Erickson USA - 1 1/2" Scarf Headband - 100% Silk Charmeuse - Mocha Swirl)

Now that Nicole has turned up the heat on designer headbands, watch for a virtual explosion in every imaginable fabric, hue and width. Watch for headbands that range from simple and elegant to encrusted with crystals and gems. One additional advantage to this new hair fashion frenzy is that headbands can be used as functional tools to hold tresses in place or as pure decoration.

2. Jeweled Combs

Charlize Theron 2004 Golden Globe Awards

Chris Haston NBC All Rights Reserved.

Jeweled combs also made a huge splash at the Golden Globes. Charlize Theron (shown to the side) had her fashionably curly hair held in a sensual style behind one ear with a crystal encrusted comb.

Not only was Charlize's hairstyle a perfect match for her gown and other accessories, but the jeweled comb was a spectacular accent piece. It was simple but elegant adding a gorgeous finish to a sensual style.

Hair combs have been a popular hair accessory since caveman days when pieces of animal teeth were used to fashion a primitive comb like object to hold hair out of the face. Since those humble beginnings, hair combs have transformed through many styles, materials and colors.

Hair combs can be used as functional hair accessories to hold hair neatly in place, to anchor chignons, twists or buns or to help control unruly tresses. Combs can also be used purely as accent pieces.

Besides Charlize, other celebrities were spotted at the Golden Globes with an assortment of combs.

3. Flowers, Flowers Everywhere

Besides the explosion of headbands and jeweled hair combs, watch for a continual rise in the popularity of all types of silk and couture hair flowers.

Flowers for the hair have been popular off and on for years, but seem to be extremely hot for prom. Beyonce has been seen wearing an assortment of silk flowers in her hair as have a number of other celebrities.

At the Grammy awards, Beyonce performed a spectacular number where many of the women sitting in the backdrop of the scene were spotted wearing large gorgeous silk flowers in their hair and on their gowns.

The Karen Marie Le Fleur Collection specializes in gorgeous real life silk flowers (hand assembled in Dallas, Texas) in every traditional variety. Karen personally hand picked every flower in her collection, spending literally weeks walking through showrooms around the world to find the very best

Besides the traditional silk flowers, some of the innovative hair accessory designers have pushed the flower envelope by creating stunning flower designs made out of unusually edgy fabrics.

One such designer is Jane Tran whose flowers (see image to the side) scale from clip encrusted flowers to large flowers that can do double duty pinned at the back of a chignon or at the waist of a Prom dress.

4. Jeweled Condor, Dolphin or Shark Clips

Nothing does double duty so well as a crystal or jewel encrusted condor or similar hair clip that will not only anchor a soft messy ballerina bun to the back of your head but it will add instant glitter.

(Ballernia bun style shown to the side - all rights HairBoutique.com - 2003 - Condor clip from the HairBoutique.com Hair Jewels collection).

A gorgeous condor style clip can instantly dress up the most simple bun or twisted style by adding an instant high glimmer effect.

Simply twist your hair into a looped bun or a ballerina style bun, open the clip and use it to anchor the bun or twist. Then carefully pull some loose strands around the perimeter of your style or at the back (as shown to the side) to create a messy look.

(Image to the side courtesy of Inspire Publications - Condor Clip from the HairBoutique.com collection).

Many celebrities favor similar clips for spur of the moment dress-up.

5. Short Hairsticks

Mei Fa - HairstyxT - Ghost 4" Hairsticks - (Set of 2)Although hairsticks have been around for years, the latest incarnation are the shorter hairsticks that can be worn by people with all lengths of hair.

(Photo of Mei Fa Ghost Hairstyx shown to the side)

The famous Mei Fa (pronounced mee faa) line has hundreds of short sticks to select from in every color or wood and topper. Mei Fa also has the longer hairsticks but is one of the first to carry such a huge assortment of gorgeous short sticks.

Mei Fa - HairstyxT - Kimono Silver 4" Hairsticks - (Set of 2)The short sticks generally measure 3 1/2" in length with a beautiful topper that adds another few inches for a total length of 4 inches.

(Photo of Mei Fa Kimono Silver 4" Hairstyx shown to the side)

These shorter sticks designed and developed by Shaune Bazner can work with shorter strands to anchor or to decorate. For folks with long strands, the shorter hairsticks work great as gorgeous accent pieces. The sticks are carefully carved and designed to work with any type and texture of hair.

6. Simple But Elegant Crystal Hairpins

HB HairJewels - Starburst Crystal Hairpins - Light Amethyst (2)Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) from Sex And The City brought back the simple but elegant hairpin with a vengeance.

The beautiful blonde Carrie played by Sarah Jessica Parker was featured wearing everything from everyday bobby pins in a contrasting color to her buttery locks to wearing bobbies encrusted with Austrian crystals and other jeweled end pieces. (Starburst Crystal Hairpins in light Amethyst above from the HairBoutique.com Hair Jewels Collection).

Hairpins are perfect for securing big bangs to one side or to adding a well planned sparkle to a messy twist or updo. Longer hairpins can be used as a faux headband (as shown on the model to the side).

(Image compliments of Inspire Publications - Austrian Crystal hairpins shown from the exclusive HairBoutique.com collection - all rights reserved - 2003).

Crystal encrusted hairpins are one of the most flexible of hair accessories.

Not only can they do double duty as a functional hair tool but they can add a simple but elegant shimmer to any length or style of hair. Even better, they are very easy to use, unlike some other types of accessories that may require practice to utilize properly.

Although some jeweled hairpins have real gemstones like diamonds and rubies that may break your Prom budget, there are many different types of pins available in a range from $5 to $15 for a pair. Check out gold or silver hued bobbies to match your earrings or other jewelry accessories. Look for real or glass pearl or crystal tipped hairpins to dress up any Prom gown.

7. Elegant Crystal Barrettes

Austrian Crystal Deco Flower Barrette - WhiteWhen Jessica Simpson married Nick Lachey in the Fall of 2002 she wore her hair in a soft pulled back style that was accented with rare antique brooches that had been converted into jeweled barrettes worth many hundreds of thousands of dollars. (Austrian Crystal encrusted art deco barrette from the HairBoutique.com HairJewels collection - all rights reserved - 2003).

Barrettes, like hairpins, can be used as a functional hair tool to hold back a sweep of bangs or a few strands of hair at the back of the crown. Barrettes can also be purely decorative adding instant glamour and glitz to a simple but elegant style like Jessica's bridal style crafted especially for her by celebrity stylist Ken Paves.

Barrettes comes in a range of sizes from very small to very large. You can find them in just about any color or shape and encrusted with a range of crystals, glass pearls and rhinestones. Select a barrette to match your other jewelry accessories.

9. Pony Elastics

Model Wearing Tiny Crystal Hair Magnets,

Monty Brinton/CBS CBS Broadcasting All Rights Reserved.

Textured and shaped hair like the style worn by Heidi Klum (shown to the side) at the AMA awards provides sophisticated control while providing a sleekly clean and smooth look pulled up and off the face. Heidi's look is perfect for creating a faux updo look without the fuss. Wearing the hair up and back also shows off a gorgeous neckline of necklace.

HB Hair Jewels - Austrian Crystal Star Pony - SmokeThis hairstyle would work perfectly with one or a series of pony elastics to dress up the look. This style is created with a series of two ponytails that are layered above each other.

If you wanted to add shimmer to the look, add a crystal encrusted pony elastic to the very top of the outside pony. Or layer several along the length of the pony in the back.

Select colors which complement your prom gown. (Austrian Crystal Star Pony shown in Smoke from HairBoutique.com Hair Jewels collection - all rights reserved).

This style would also work with one very large pony elastic nestled near the intersection of the two ponytails at the back of the crown. If you want to simply and go with one elegant ponytail, you can attach a jeweled pony wrap about the band holding the pony in place.

10. Hair Magnets, Snaps & French Pins

Model Wearing Tiny Crystal Hair Magnets,

Monty Brinton/CBS CBS Broadcasting All Rights Reserved.

If you prefer an ultra romantic updo style but want just a touch of shimmer and bling bling, the so called floating hair accessories may be your best selection.

Choose from tiny crystal encrusted hair magnets, hair snaps or small jeweled French pins

(shown to the side from The HairBoutique.com Hair Jewels collection - all rights reserved) to lightly accent your hair twist or updo.

These tiny crystal and jeweled accessories also work great for shorter Prom styles (as shown above) by adding a sprinkling of hair jewels without a heavy hand.

Other Hair Accessories

Although headbands, jeweled combs, silk flowers are currently sizzling you will also be in vogue for your prom with other hair accessories that might be more to your choosing. Crystal encrusted bobby and French hair pins, barrettes, pony elastics and floating jewels are still very popular for Prom styles.

If you decide to go with an edgier style you can look at the option to use a more avante garde set of unusually shaped or brightly colored traditional long hairsticks, combs, jaws or headbands. Although hair sticks may be more challenging to use as a hair anchor, you can cheat and add them as decoration to an already existing hair twist or updo. Or you can check out the shorter sticks which may be easier to use.

To punk up your Prom look you may want to experiment by adding clip-on braids, hair extensions or ponies in different textures and colors to give you a radical new look. Consider clipping in jeweled beads or strands. Or decorate with tiny jeweled alligator clips in a range of sizes and colors.

Summary

Whether you opt to go with a simple easy Prom hairstyle or something more sophisticated, there is an endless array of beautiful hair accessories to fit your budget and your Prom look.

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- Revised: 04/04/11

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