In 2009, Julianne Goldmark was a teenager in a school uniform who wanted her hair to look like something. She began making hair ties out of underwear elastic and selling them to friends at school, and her mom helped her dye elastics in the kitchen. For the first five years the whole business ran from the family house, with everything dyed in pots and pans. I like starting there, because every Emi Jay hair clip you see on a train platform today descends from that kitchen.

What I find interesting is the point of view. People only knew drugstore elastics that snapped and hurt hair, so something different got noticed fast. Then came 2019, which Goldmark calls the turn from Emi Jay 1.0 to 2.0, and the Big Effing Clip arrived just before the pandemic: a large claw clip in biodegradable acetate, first in four colors. The first run of 400 sold out. Claw clips had been a 1990s classic that went quiet until a revival, credited in part to an Alexander Wang runway show in 2018, and this brand gave the revival a shape worth owning.

The Big Effing Clips in this edit are the original idea. The Noir is glossy black with a gold hinge, the one I would clip over a wool coat collar in October. The Tortoise is the easy brown, good with camel knits and denim. The Chantilly is a creamy marbled ivory that works with everything in a gray winter wardrobe, and the Hazelnut is a warm beige that nearly disappears into brown hair. If you want color, Cherry Kiss in red is a lipstick for your head, and Pistachio, Lavender and Tangerine do the same job in softer or louder ways.

Practical tip: gather your hair low, twist once and let the teeth do the work. If it slides, use less hair.

The Sweetheart Clip is the Emi Jay hair clip for people who think the big one is too plain. It is a smaller claw, about three inches wide, and it is made of the same custom cellulose acetate as the rest of the line, which the brand describes as petroleum-free and made from cotton, wood and pulp. The decoration is where it plays: charms and crystals sit right on the shell.

Toasted Teddy is dark chocolate brown with a tiny teddy bear and hearts, and I would wear it with a brown turtleneck and a corduroy skirt. Vanilla Chai is cream with a brown bow and crystals, a sweeter version of the same palette. Blue Ribbon is periwinkle with white ribbon bows, which looks good against a gray cardigan. Bordeaux Cherry Pie is deep burgundy with cherry charms, my pick for a fall dinner, and Prima Donna is black with white bows if you want the girly detail without the pastel.

Test it the way you would test earrings: hold it up beside your face in the mirror and see whether the charm competes with your collar or your necklace. A decorated clip wants a plain top. Hair that is straight and fine usually needs the clip placed a little higher so the teeth have something to grip.

What I would skip: stacking two charmed clips side by side. The detail is the point, and it gets lost when there is too much of it.

Smaller clips are where the 1990s revival makes the most sense, because that is how they were actually worn: a half-up twist, a few strands pinned back, a clip tucked behind the ear. Claw clips hold hair with a spring and teeth, which is gentler on hair than a typical elastic band, and the small sizes give that grip without the full-head commitment.

The Lil Effing Clip is the Big Effing Clip scaled down to about three and a half inches. I would take Cherry Kiss for a red accent on a black coat day, Blueberry for a deep navy that works with just about any dark knit, Tortoise for a brown that suits blonde or brunette hair, and Buttercream, a creamy marbled shade, for soft sweaters in cream and oatmeal. The Petite Clip goes smaller again, a mini claw for bangs and baby hair. Noir is glossy black, Toasted a warm caramel, Pink Sugar a translucent marbled pink, and Chantilly the same creamy ivory as the big one.

Fitting-room test: squeeze the clip open and close a few times, then check that the two sides line up and snap shut cleanly. Then clip it onto a small section of hair, shake your head and see if it moves.

What I would skip: a Petite clip for thick, long hair. It will hold a front section, not a whole twist, and it will make you feel the difference.

The Super Bloom is the one people stop me about. It is a plumeria flower made into a claw clip, a bit over three inches across, and the design is copyrighted, which tells you how seriously the brand takes its shapes. Every Emi Jay clip is hand-assembled, and you can see it in how the translucent petals sit together.

Think of these as a summer hair clip that earns a place in fall. Peach Spritz is a translucent peach fading to orange, and Beach Club is a vivid translucent red that looks great with a black sweater. Rose Pearl is clear and pearly with a soft pink center. Guava goes from pink to orange, Maui is turquoise with a green center, and Wild Orchid is clear lilac with a hot pink middle. Coconut fades from clear to yellow, and Miss Super Bloom in Jelly Cloud is a pale blue jelly clip made of three small plumeria flowers, a gentler option.

How to wear one: since it is the whole statement, keep the rest simple. A low twist at the nape with a flower sitting at the back is better than a high stack, and plain solid knits let the color do the talking. Hold it next to your skin tone in daylight, because the translucent shades change in sunlight.

What I would skip: pairing a Super Bloom with a floral print. Let it be the only flower in the outfit.

Not everyone wants a claw. The bow barrettes and the Popstar clips are for people who like their hair down but not in their face, and they are the easiest way to wear this brand in an office. They also tell you something about the range: the brand now makes products for everyone, from babies to grandmas, and Goldmark herself uses Popstar clips to keep her hair back while she does her makeup.

The velvet bow barrettes come with long tails. Mocha Mousse is brown with a crystal center, Baby Mauve a dusty mauve pink, and Noir the black one for a dark outfit. Fireside is a brown plaid bow that I would wear with a wool blazer, and Oyster is an oversized white chiffon bow, the one for a dress or a holiday party. Popstar clips come as sets of creaseless snap clips with crystals: Bedtime Angel in baby blue and gingham, Italian Ice in pastel yellow, lilac and gingham, and Amour Noir in black.

Test: clip it into a ponytail or a half-up section and tug gently. A barrette should sit flat without pulling. For creaseless clips, check the snap closes without catching hair.

What I would skip: a big bow on short layers. It will slide, and you will keep fixing it.

If I had one Emi Jay hair clip to wear tomorrow, I would start with the Big Effing Clip in Tortoise, since it works with everything in my closet. Then I would add a small one, probably the Lil Effing in Buttercream, for days when a full twist is too much.

After that I would choose by mood: a Sweetheart for something playful, a Super Bloom for the weekend. They are hand-assembled in cellulose acetate, so I treat them like a good pair of sunglasses.

It started with a teenager and a pot of dye. I like that the thing in my hair still has some of that in it. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Viviscal, MaryRuth's and the Slow Business of Growing Hair and Wavy Hair Wants Less Than You Think.