You probably already own AW18’s most wanted hair accessory

Now's the time to bring it out of hiding...

First the catwalks bought back the scrunchy. It’s soft, squidy edges reminded us of everything we loved about the 90’s: the Spice Girls, J. Lo when she was still Jenny From The Block and SJP in her Sex and the City days. Looking back, it’s hard to see how we fell out of love with the things. And now it’s happening all over again, albeit this time it’s a revival of a different sort…

The hair accessory du jour this season is almost certainly something you already own, which is (we’ll admit) one of the things we love most about it. At the Alexander Wang AW18 show super stylist Guido Palau bought back the banana clip, AKA the clip your Granny used to wear before bed, and styled any girl who had long enough hair with either one or two of them for the runway. The Wang versions had a high-fashion reinterpretation with a silver mirrored effect and they were embossed with the designers name but they stayed true to your 90’s classics in both size and purpose.

The inspiration behind the Wang look was an ‘80’s boardroom executive,’ said Palau. Locks were slicked down to the head for a powerful finish and then back into a low ponytail. ‘It’s easy to forget that someone younger might never have seen a banana clip and might not know that is wasn’t considered cool or that it had funny connotations. That’s something I love about fashion, that it forces us to look at things again in a different way,’ said Palau. It certainly helped us visualise how to style these large clips that were long ago relegated to the bottom of our drawers.

Now’s the time to dig them out again because if there is one thing we’ve learnt, if it’s seen on the Wang catwalk it’s only a matter of time before it’ll be trending on Twitter, blowing up your Instagram feed and, before you know it, your cool younger cousin will be posting selfies with hers.

Still not convinced? You should be, banana clips are the quickest way to update your ‘do and require absolutely no heat styling so are ideal if your locks are damaged or if you're trying to grow your hair out. Plus, as we’ve already started reminiscing about, they do a pretty good job at distracting from the probably-should-have-washed-it-yesterday scenario.

If you’re starting to panic about the whereabouts of your old stash or are doubting whether you have the mental strength to embark on an intrepid exploration through the depths of your wardrobe/ drawers/ in the boxes under the bed in search of the elusive clips, don’t fret if you can’t find them. The good news is you can get yourself a piece of the trend for less than a fiver, take Scunci No Slip Grip Jaw Clip, £4.50 for example. It's gripped claws make it ideal for thicker tresses or try Tegen's Medium Hair Claw, £24.95. if you prefer a classic tortoiseshell design.

I'm afraid you'll have to excuse me now, I've got an important drawer rummaging session I must be getting on with...