This has been the Summer of Soccer. While “The Beautiful Game” has long dominated the global stage, in the U.S., the sport reached new heights in 2026, thanks almost entirely to North America’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup. And beauty and style were not immune to the football fever. Cool girls spent the season coming up with new ways to style jerseys, athletic shorts, and, in the case of one very popular style icon — Hailey Bieber — sporty hair accessories. Specifically: The love-it-or-hate-it zig-zag headband that was the ultimate “classroom to practice” accessory of the Y2K era.
Ahead of the FIFA World Cup Final, the Rhode founder shared a snap of herself wearing the polarizing accessory (also known as a comb headband) on her Instagram Stories. With glowy skin and the lengths of her strands piled into a messy bun, Bieber took an “early 2000s youth soccer practice, but make it glam” approach to her game-day beauty.
As many a millennial can attest, the stretchy headband was all the rage in the hallways and on the athletic fields of middle and high schools in the late ’90s and early aughts. While its actual comfort was hotly debated (I personally vote “not”), that didn’t keep it from becoming one of the hottest looks of its time. Among its highest-profile outings: Holding back Keira Knightley’s bob in the 2002 classic Bend It Like Beckham.
After the game, Mr. and Mrs. Bieber made their way to his post-World Cup after-party, where she served up another fun beauty moment: A sky-blue manicure with matching pedi, a pretty and unexpected match for her lacy, wine-red slip dress and back-thong heels. Sporty by day, club chic by night? How very Jules Paxton.
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