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Behold, the humble bobby pin. It's small. It's powerful. It's an essential building block of so many hairstyles, and yet, the hair accessory tends to get ignored in favor of flashier clips and pins. At least until now, because Elle Fanning just gave the bobby pin its much-deserved moment in the spotlight.
Fanning, who stars in the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, attended a press event for the film in London wearing her hair in a simple, softly curled long bob with a strategically placed bobby pin adorning the style, courtesy hairstylist Jenda. Her light blonde hair was parted to one side and styled in the subtlest, softest bends, curled inward on one side and slightly outward on the other. Instead of adding a snap clip or bedazzled, jeweled pin, Fanning and Jenda went way back to basics with a dark blonde bobby pin slipped in not far from her part. Is it serving a function? Yes—it's holding her hair back ever so slightly. Does it look cool? Also yes.
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Given Fanning was wearing a menswear-inspired Saint Laurent suit at the photocall, the choice of bobby pin versus something, say, pearly, floral, rhinestoned, or enameled makes sense. When paired with the full look—suit and tie, bob, soft glam and rose-tinted lips by makeup artist Erin Ayanian Monroe—the humble bobby pin looked like a million bucks. It was an unexpected choice, as bobby pins are typically hidden in the hair to hold it in place instead of being placed so prominently atop a hairstyle, and felt like a clever little wink and the epitome of sophistication. In other words, the actor “elle-evated” the bobby pin from a hair accessory you find on the floor, in your pockets, and at the bottom of your bag to a red carpet superstar.
Now, watch a ballerina prep for the Nutcracker:
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