Okay, Ladies, we have to ask:  Do your hair accessories have that not-so-fresh feeling? 

Don’t be embarrassed--millions of women are afflicted with outdated hair accessories every day without even realizing it.  (And don’t even think we’re talking about scrunchies , because, Honey, if you’re still wearing a scrunchie out in public anywhere other than an 80’s Night, you’d better be a Boston Terrier named Kyla].

No, we’re talking about those claw (or jaw, or banana, or butterfly, depending on whom you ask) clips,

or as they’re known amongst the Fashionable People,  the modern day scrunchie.  Ubiquitous and cheap, they’re fine for sectioning your hair for styling or putting it up to wash your face.  But to wear in public? 

Ugh.  So 2005! 

So what’s a girl to put in her hair?  The drugstore aisles all carry the same inexpensive and boring plastic and metal coated barrettes and clips, and the high-end stores seem to deal mostly in headbands, which are fine if you’re under, like, 30 or 35.  But what about the rest of us who are, you know, a couple of years older?



It seems that, for the past few years, a messy bun or a simple ponytail secured with a black or brown coated elastic were our only options for an elegant but effortless-looking updo.  We wondered:  Where was the Next Scrunchie/Jawclip for the new millenium?  Wasn’t
anyone making cool new hair accessories anymore? 



It turns out that a company called Ficcare actually was making cool new stuff-- since 1997 apparently-- but we only recently discovered their line a few weeks ago in the accessories section of the Nordstrom at International Plaza.  (Btw--Don’t you just love the way their shoes and makeup and jewelry and scarves and belts just flow together in all that open space?  We’re not huge fans of the second floor layout--we never seem to find anything we want up there-- but the first floor is incredible, especially when the piano player is there.)

Ficcare’s founders, it turns out, were as frustrated with the current selection of hair holders as we were, but, unlike us, they decided to do something about it.

As you can see, all of their clips and barrettes are high-quality and gorgeous, but the Maximus clip has to be the most useful hair thingie we’ve bought in a long time.  

Their sleek, clean lines are a perfect counterbalance to even the messiest twists and buns. 

Granted, compared to a four-pack of hair claws or a Bag O’ Scrunchies, $30-34 for a hair clip can seem pricey.  But once you try one, you’ll understand.  (They’re even stamped with the Ficcare name on the inside--which, as anyone who collects costume jewelry knows, could make it somewhat of an investment going forward). 
The clips come in three sizes; if you’re not sure which one to buy or how to use them, you might want to watch one of these videos first.

 

We have the Tortoise and the Honey Marble, both of which are so neutral they can be worn with pretty much anything, but if we were looking for a splurge we certainly wouldn’t mind  a few of these delicious Border III collection colors:




So scrap your scrunchies (if you haven’t already) and jettison your jawclamp--the enameled clip is where it’s at, at least for the rest of 2008.  After that?  You’ll just have to check back with us, because today’s clip can easily become tomorrow’s scrunchie. 
Let’s just hope there’s something newer and cooler to replace it!