Retire the claw clip! In 2026 we're reaching for the French pin

Hair trends have a habit of swinging between effort and ease. In recent years, the balance tipped firmly towards the latter, with claw clips, scrunchies and no-nonsense elastics dominating daily routines. Practical, quick and unmistakably of their moment, they reflected a broader, Covid-coded mood where speed trumped finish.

As fashion sharpens up again, hair is following suit. There’s a renewed appetite for styles that look polished without feeling overworked. The shift isn’t about abandoning ease altogether, but about choosing tools that do more with less, and leave fewer traces on your tresses.

After more than two decades in semi-retirement, the French pin has found its way back into the spotlight. The catalyst was The Row’s spring/summer 2026 show, where models wore their hair swept back into restrained, sculptural twists, secured with decorative pins and combs. The look rippled across social media almost instantly, with editors, stylists and fashion obsessives clocking the same thing at once: this was a styling move we hadn’t seen properly since the 2000s.

“What’s not to love about a French pin?” asks Swedish content creator and self-confessed convert Sanna Jörnvik Déman. “It’s chic yet functional, and if you ask me, much more practical than a hair tie or a claw clip. As if that wasn’t enough of a draw, it also doesn’t ruin a blow-out, but rather enhances and protects it.”