5 Fashion Accessories for Kids Trending This Festive Season

1. Printed snap clips in bold, simple prints

The easiest way to get the look is a printed snap clip. Think stripes, polka dots, rainbow bands and candy swirls, in colours that match a festive kurta without matching it exactly. Our Rainbow Hair Clips start at Rs 199, and the stripe and polka dot designs are in the same range.

The styling point we keep coming back to is restraint. One clip on one side, in a print that already has a colour in the outfit, looks chosen. Four clips in four prints looks like a shop window. For a Diwali photo, pick the single clip that matches the dupatta or the border of the kurta, and let it do all the work.

2. Iron-on patches as the quiet statement

A patch works on a school bag as well as a jacket, and it is a good fit for festive dressing because they are small and bright without being loud. Our Smiley and Butterfly designs are Rs 129 each. We would put one on a plain jacket or a kurta pocket, and leave the rest of the look alone.

One honest note: a patch works best on fabric that holds its shape. A stiff jacket or a fabric bag is a better base than a thin cotton frock that moves all day.

3. Small bag pieces that carry the look

The bag is the most-seen accessory on a child, because it comes to every class, every party and every car ride. A bag tag is the easiest way to add something bright without rethinking the whole outfit. Our Bag Tag Belt is Rs 49, which makes it the cheapest piece we carry, and it is a good add-on for a party bag or a cousin's bag.

If you want something with the child's name on it, our Writable Signature Bag Tags are Rs 399 for a pack of two, and you write the details yourself.

4. Clips in pairs, not in piles

A matching pair is a simple way to make a festive outfit look deliberate. Our stripes in blue and pink are a good pair to start with, and they sit well next to a plain outfit.

We would pick a pair when the outfit is busy, because the matching gives the eye a single place to rest. We would skip a pair when the child's hair is very thin, because two clips can pull more than one would.

The best festive accessory is the one that is still in the hair after the second photo.

5. Bright, not heavy

The last rule is about weight and comfort, which matter more than parents expect. A child who is fussing with a heavy clip or a bag piece that bangs against their leg will stop wearing it by the end of the function. We look for lightweight pieces first and bright colours second.

What is not trending, in our view

We would skip anything that is only there for the photo. A bow that is too big for the head, a badge that is too heavy for the fabric, or a clip that has to be pinned in four places will look fine for ten minutes and then cause trouble. Trend pieces are worth buying when they fit the child's daily life as well as the photo. For a related look at a trend that is picking up, see our post on magnetic badges, which explains why we do not stock them and what we would wear instead.

Heading into the party season after Diwali? See how the red velvet bow became the go-to in our post on Christmas hair accessories for girls.

Styling notes for a festive week

Pick one accessory that is the statement, and let the others be quiet. Match the colour to something already in the outfit, not the trend colour of the season. If the child wears glasses, a clip on the opposite side keeps the look balanced. And always do a test run the evening before, because a clip that looks perfect in the shop can slide out by the time the rangoli is finished.