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We know that Y2K fashion is back: it’s cargo pants, low-rise jeans, velour tracksuits. But it’s not just clothes that Y2K is revisiting: it’s creeping into our hairstyles and accessories. If you grew up in the ’90s, you’ll remember the butterfly clip. Well, thanks to Primark, you can now buy a set of butterfly clips for £1.50. Be honest, you thought you were the coolest person if you had a few of these in your hair back in the day, waltzing into the school disco like Britney.
All the celebs were wearing them, Tyra Banks at the 3rd annual GQ Men of the Year Awards in 1998, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Hilary Duff, and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.
The 2022 hairclip buzz started when a savvy shopper spotted the retro accessory in their Primark and shared an image of them to the Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK Group on Facebook, captioned: ‘I remember loving these when I was a kid, picked some up for my little one today.’ The image immediately racked up a huge 7.3k likes and 3.9k comments, with people gushing their nostalgia for the clips, the era and the price, which is no surprise as Londoners are nostalgia obsessed and also love a bargain.
‘Remember separating the front of the hair into six sections with butterfly clips and the rest left down,’ reminisced one user.
But where does this harking back come from? It’s something that this city does so well, ‘Ah, don’t you remember the good old days? When Shoreditch wasn’t gentrified? When Primark was still actually cheap?’ It probably also looks back to pre-covid times, when life was at least slightly better. But in terms of style, fashion historians have often referred to this pattern as the ‘20-year cycle’: about every two decades or so fashion trends make a comeback.
And recently, ‘Good 4 U’ singer Olivia Rodrigo has been sporting the clips, wearing them at the Met Gala nom less with a Y2K-inspired Versace sparkly gown, reminding us that retro can actually be done in 2022 in a way that won’t make you look five years old. Other big names rocking the look include Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa, Elsa Hosk, and Chiara Ferragni.
So, Londoners, get down to Primark and live out your best nostalgia life. And for £1.50, what can go wrong?
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