Dua Lipa's Retro Butterfly Clips Are The Perfect Summer Accessory

Dua Lipa is many things. She’s a dancer, an actor, and an activist. But among her greatest feats is how seamlessly she can bridge a generational gap. The artist manages to do this with her aptly titled album Future Nostalgia, blending glittery disco-pop with modern production. And she does it with her looks, borrowing bits of every decade she’s lived through (and several she hasn’t) for a style all her own. Dua Lipa’s ‘00s butterfly hair clips, though, take her love of fashion time travel to an entirely new level.

In new photos shared to her Instagram grid, Lipa’s done up in the ultimate new millennium accessory: those metal, moving butterfly clips worn by everyone with even an inch of hair all through the early aughts. Really, everything about the style screams ‘00s from the clips to the pigtails they sit atop and the face-framing tendrils that curl gently to her shoulders. The whole effect is easy-breezy and effortlessly youthful, making these vintage clips the ultimate summer hair accessory.

Though the look itself is fresh and unexpected, the theme of this way-back accessory was made for her. The singer likes to make her love for butterflies very well know, with depictions popping up on her nails, her Versace dress from this year’s Grammy Awards, even her birthday piñata. And, as all good millennial historians can tell you, the butterfly motif was a huge one in the early millennium. Not only has it been Mariah Carey’s signature since at least ‘96, the early 2000s were awash in butterfly Lisa Frank prints, Lizzie McGuire-approved accessories, and room themes.

To get Lipa’s look, the style is almost as key as the clips. Try a center part (or give yourself a zig-zag part with the end of a makeup brush for maximum ‘00s authenticity), pulling out strands of varying thickness around the face to frame it. Freeze your style with a medium-hold hairspray, but be sure to do it before fastening your clips — they’re metal, meaning the alcohol that’s probably in your hairspray will make them dull and rust. The funnest part of this accessory is letting the butterflies move and bounce as you do, so consider placing them where their glittery wings can catch the light and draw even more attention.

Most critically, as anyone who has ever worn these can say with authority, take great care when removing your butterfly clips. The metal grips will stay in through hours of wear but will take a sizable chunk of hair with it if removed too quickly. Try to separate any tangled hair in good lighting first, then open the clamps fully before removing from hair. Try to take them directly off — never slide — as it’s deceptively easy to get fine pieces of hair snared in the grooves.

If the full-on glittery-and-fluttering butterflies aren’t your thing but you still want to incorporate the resurrected trend, try a more subtle butterfly: the classic small plastic clips or a butterfly claw clip are both easy options. No matter what you pick, though, you’re in some great, butterfly loving company.

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