On a Scale of Kate Middleton to SJP, We’ll Walk You Through the Art of Wearing a Hairbow as an Adult

We can hem and haw about getting a butterfly haircut and the decision to dye our hair “cherry cola” red, but adding a hairbow is a low-pressure, high-impact way to dress up your mane—and, even better, one that’s not permanent. Based on the way celebs like Brie Larson and Emma Watson are wearing them, bigger and bolder is definitely better. In other words, the hairbows of 2023 aren’t the schoolgirl styles we’re used to seeing. Instead, they come with an interesting texture or a floor-length tail. Hair is also styled with precision. (Just look at SJP and her half-up, slicked-back strands.)

“I love this current bow moment we’re in,” says Behr. “It’s super romantic, but also a bit tongue in cheek. Women are wearing the bow, which used to be very little girl, in an empowered Fashion—with a capital F—way.”

It’s also an easy way to add character to your look. “Bows are a timeless silhouette, but one that has range. You can wear one that is big and covered in crystals and very over the top or choose a style that’s classic like a black velvet bow. People like when they can take a trend and make it their own,” she adds.

Cue my own hairbow experiment: I already snapped up a smaller, more understated bow at J.Crew the minute Kate Middleton was pictured wearing one, but I was eager to kick things up a notch now.

First, I checked in with Trygstad for some tips on pulling off a bow in 2023. His number one piece of advice is to not overthink it—in fact, he loves saving ribbons from pretty packages and gifts and turning them into hairbows. “Translucent bows, finer ribbons, anything silk or velvet. You’d be amazed what you can create with a clip and a hot glue gun,” he says.

For everyday wear, Trygstad’s go-to look is to sweep hair to the side and clip the bow further back behind the ear. “Positioning a hairbow to the side creates easy dimension, but also adds a bit of romanticism,” he says. Of course, the most obvious and easiest way to style a bow is either with your hair pulled half-back or fully up. Also, the sleeker your strands, the more grown up your bow will feel.

And if you want to go bigger and bolder, Trygstad says to consider the proportions of what you’re wearing with the bow. “You want to think about the entire look. If you’ve got a big sleeve, you want a bigger bow; for an exposed shoulder, an oversized bow also feels right. But you can also add a bow—say, a 1/4-inch or 1/2-inch to a sportier look.”

I tested a range of styles to find a hairbow that best suited my taste. The characteristics that I found to be the most practical for everyday wear: A bigger bow with texture.

Enter Jennifer Behr’s Harper Bow Barrette. I wore it to the park, to the office, to school pickup and on a few recent nights out. My favorite part: I could pop it into my locks without a mirror in sight. It was easy to clip in and it gave my outfits extra flair without stealing the show or being too over the top. In fact, for a group dinner this week, I wore this particular bow with a pair of jeans, a black sweater and cherry red coat. My bow was the talk of the table! “OK, we all need bows,” my friends remarked.

I did experiment with a few longer-length styles, too, but found they weren’t as easy to pull off on, say, a play date or grocery run (though I’d certainly wear one to a fancy dinner). Anyway, seeing as how bows—and the myriad ways to wear them—are continuing to trend, I look forward to trying more styles in the new year.