4 Ways to Rock Gold Hair Accessories
What do Elizabeth Banks, Ashley Olsen, and Elizabeth Olsen have in common? They’ve all been sporting gold hair accessories courtesy of celeb stylist Mark Townsend. From Elizabeth Olsen’s appearances promoting Avengers: Age of Ultron to Ashley Olsen on the red carpet at the Met Gala to Elizabeth Banks on the cover of Net-a-Porter’s The Edit, Townsend has been adding simple gold hair pins in his client’s ‘dos.
“I really love that it’s a trend now for summer and spring — it’s not just for holiday,” says Townsend. “Why not use them all year?” Gold hair accessories first popped up on our radar during the spring 2015 fashion shows, with stylist Guido Palau putting them into play on the runways at Lanvin and Céline. While can potentially read as juvenile or like they should be reserved for wearing while walking down the aisle, sticking with a simple gold barrette or pin feels mature and luxurious.
“I love an updo, I’m never afraid of an updo, but when all the hair is up and away from the face, people aren’t really looking at the hair,” says Townsend. “A way to dress up a simple bun or any updo is with an accessory. Gold bobby pins work so well because they can dress up a simple style without feeling over the top.” Below, check out four ways Townsend has made gold hair accessories work.
Ashley Olsen at the 2015 Met Gala. (Photo: Instagram)
On Ashley Olsen:
“In the 10 years that I’ve been doing [Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen for] the Met Ball, I think it was my favorite look,” says Townsend of the look he created for Ashley Olsen at this year’s Met Gala. To create this look, he placed gold bobby pins all around the base of her topknot. Townsend recommends spraying your pins with a fine dry shampoo before using them in the hair to give them a little bit of grip (He uses Dove Refresh+Care Invigorating Dry Shampoo, $6). “The powder and the starch attach to the pins and create a good friction between the hair and the pins to keep them from slipping.”
Elizabeth Olsen wearing YS Park gold hair pins for the New York City screening of Avengers: Age of Ultron. (Photo: Instagram)
On Elizabeth Olsen:
Townsend used three gold-plated YS Park hair pins to dress up the bun he created for Elizabeth Olsen during her New York City Avengers screening. “The thing about these pins is that one will hold an entire bun,” says Townsend. “I wanted to show it off so I used other pins to hold the bun in place and the YS Park pin as decoration.” He recommends using your hair pins to create balance — if your bun or ponytail is off to one side, add your accessories to the opposite side.
Elizabeth Banks wearing a YS Park hair pin for Net-A-Porter’s The Edit. (Photo: Instagram)
On Elizabeth Banks:
“Placement is key, especially if it’s around the front,” says Townsend. “Hair accessories tend to be right on the hairline when they are on a little kid, with the function of keeping the hair off the face. For adults, it’s more about dressing up the hair style.” On Banks, Townsend used an elongated gold pin from YS Park to bull her hair up and to the side.
Ashley Olsen’s hair at the Sephora Brand Education Summit in Las Vegas. (Photo: Instagram)
On Ashley Olsen:
“The last time I did pins in Ashley’s hair, I didn’t even cross them. I just put three to four in from each side and they way they randomly lined up looked so cool,” says Townsend. He placed the pins with the crimped side out in Olsen’s hair, which helps to catch the light in photos. “I like shiny more than matte because I want it to show up,” he says. “A matte gold could look more like a regular bronze pin.”
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