After a summer of wild and crazy hair (hey, that’s what summer’s for, right?) it’s been a little tough getting my girls back in the groove of sleek ponytails and neat hairbands for schools. To say nothing of those brushes that could use a workout. But there’s nothing like a cute new hairband or clip to get them excited to look like they didn’t just roll out of bed.

The hair accessories from Adelaide NYC are clever, creative, colorful, and built to last. They’re made from acrylic, not felt or ribbon, and the construction is reassuring because they’re not your average 3-for-four-dollars hair clips. In fact, they’re made side-by-side with Louis Vuitton and Prada products, so you know there’s a little attention happening in the quality control department.

robot hair band for girls | cool mom picks

The ponytail holders feature designs as classic as cherries and birds, to robots (!), cameras, and preppy pairs of Scottie dogs. There is even a pretty Liberty of London collaboration featuring the traditional floral prints.

scotty dogs hair band | cool mom picks

You’ll find a smaller selection of headbands, but for me it’s the barrettes that are giving me trouble in the decision-making department. Yes, the birds and bows are adorable year-round, but that #2 pencil is killing me for school season as is the sparkly red apple. And that dog with the rhinestone collar? Adorable! I don’t always like rhinestones on little girls’ clips, but the way these are done it feels subtle and kind of fun–more kitschy than pageant-y, if you know what I mean.

adelaide pencil barrette for back to school | cool mom picks

dog barrette from adelaide | cool mom picks

rainbow hair clip | cool mom picks

If you need a special little gift for a girl, my suggestion: Put together a bunch of screen shots online or print in a little handmade booklet, and let her browse them and pick her own. Watching my girls pore over the website, you’d think it was the American Girl Doll catalog. –Liz

UPDATED 9/3: Adelaide wrote us to apologize for the original discount code CMP10 not working until today. The good news? They’d like to offer CMP readers a 15% discount for any inconvenience. Save 15% on your order of hair accessories for girls online at Adelaide NYC with code CMP15. Also find them at shops like Fred Segal, Nordstrom, and indie boutiques like Babesta in NY.

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