A new spin on accessories gives brides hair with flair

Trade in that tiara, ditch that veil. Brides are trumping tradition with fashion-forward hair accessories that pay homage to the past. From heirloom brooches and vintage-inspired accents to beads, feathers and crystals that add a touch of texture, runway style is making its way down the aisle.

"The vintage look is very in right now," said Stacey Lyn Weinstein, owner of the New York City bridal beauty boutique Once Upon a Bride, which specializes in one-stop salon treatments. "People don't want tiaras anymore. They want combs and brooches and fasteners.

"We're seeing brooches in different sizes, from petite styles that you wear two or three at a time to bigger versions in the shape of a rose or leaf. Brides are wearing brooches and clips with everything."

It's all about creating Old World elegance. Brooches, combs and hair fasteners feature shimmering Swarovski crystals, stunning pearl beadwork, emu feathers and wispy wire to create a multifaceted, textural accent to the season's soft, disheveled hairstyles. Spring brides are even transforming heirloom jewels into modern brooches. Think of it as taking something old to create something entirely new.

"They contact mom or grandma for an heirloom that we make into a brooch with a comb so that there's something old. Then, the heirloom can go right back to the family," Weinstein said.

For modern brides, the traditionally styled coif set high upon the head went out with the prom. This season, sophistication and glamour take center stage. The latest hairstyles are loose and tousled.

"Unstructured hair is very popular right now," Weinstein said. "It's not over-sprayed, overdone or too perfect. It's a little more natural, and a beautiful brooch finishes off the look."

Long, flowing locks adorned with an off-center brooch or a carefree chignon decorated with multiple clips, combs or sprigs of jewels and gems are the hottest styles for spring.

"Sprigs of wire wrapped in pearl or crystals that spray out in every direction are really hot right now. They can be very wiry for a light look or a little more solid for more shimmer. They look like fireworks," Weinstein explained.

For a similar wispy effect, some brides are turning to combs and brooches accented with natural feathers. Emu feathers from Australia are especially popular, Weinstein said. The delicate plumes are light and airy - the ideal complement to a classic gown.

Of course, it may be hard for some women to part with tradition. A bride without a veil or tiara might seem as foreign as a groom without a tux. Bridal stylists haven't forgotten the old standbys. But in lieu of the oversized pieces of the past, modern veils and tiaras have a distinctly minimalist edge.

"If anyone is wearing something on top of their head, it's more of a skinny headband," Weinstein said. "It's very delicate, like a curved wire with pearls and crystals so that you just see the shimmer.

"A lot of girls are also going without the big veil that sits on top of the head. Something that is really coming into style is the face veil. It's very sheer and delicate netting that sits half over the face, half over the hair ... it's beautiful."

A more modern twist on the traditional veil makes use of ethereal fabrics and barely-there netting studded with shimmering crystals.

"Some of my brides who are Jewish have to wear a veil," Weinstein said. "In that case, we tend to do a sheer fabric veil on a comb that's not overwhelming. We add crystals throughout the netting, which adds just a little bit of shimmer.

"If they want to stay modern, brides need to keep it light and airy, instead of having all the overwhelming fabric and lace."