My Totally Justified Obsession With Hair Accessories 🎀
by Elena Chen
This winter, dare I say our first real winter out of COVID, I am really leaning into my newfound obsession with hair accessories. I have to say, I have not been giving hair all the priority it deserves. I have always been a huge advocate for the effortless, just-rolled-out-of-bed, beachy waves hair.
Preferably a haircut where you get the heck layered out of your hair so you don’t even have to zhuzh it up too much with product? So my newfound obsession is probably so much more dated for other people, but I thought I’d share some of the finds I’ve gleaned this fall to add that extra bit of pizzazz to your fit or look. Especially as the weather cools down and we’re showing less and less skin, hair styling becomes a great canvas to express personal style.
Sometimes styling for the cold can make us complacent with the pragmatic and we reuse the same pants and pullover combination one too many times. A little hair accessory could just provide the spark of inspiration we need to get creative again with our outfits.
photo by @_crochetc._
photo by @_crochetc._
I cannot stress enough how hard I’ve been sucked into the #balletcore aesthetic so well fleshed out by brands like Miu Miu and Sandy Liang. Of that, I have also been so drawn to the handmade, slow fashion movement that regained traction on Instagram and otherly fluttering internet spaces so naturally, the whole knit/crochet bows and ties have been so nostalgic of going to ballet class as a kid and that ever so feminized beauty. There’s something so romantic about bows because they remind me of gifts but they also share the delicate innocence a flower would embody.
There are of course the ballooning ponytail bows that Blair Waldorf made her signature in many a episode of Gossip Girl that really epitomize that feminine but powerful image.
Claudia Schiffer in Vogue, 1992
Next accessory in need of addressing on the agenda is the headscarf. How did a square cloth become so undeniably fashionable? I’m throwing into this very loosely defined category of “the headscarf” “The Bandana”, “The Balaclava” and generally all head pieces that wrap around the head in some way.
I do think of myself as romantic, and part of that is this overwhelming pull I get to being in nature and living much more closely with the pre-industrial ways of doing things. I have this playlist saved on YouTube with processes on how to make butter and soy milk from cream and soybeans. I find working by hand so rewarding and part of my homage to these artisanal processes is woven into my side-obsession with the cottagecore aesthetic as well. It’s important not to romanticize the difficulty and hardship in activities involving such a great deal of manual exertion and to honor the work of those who do toil for such craftsmanship. A small nod to the beauty that a more tranquil life could be: Cottagecore headwear.
Last but not least, I thought I’d introduce some of the less minimalist and more statement hair pieces that one could use to accessorize for this seasonal change. Color and texture, along with glitter and sparkle, have been consistent themes in my choice of wardrobe.
When it’s colder and gloomier outside, color just makes everything better for me. If there’s color and glitter, it will put a smile on my face. It also reintroduces some of that childlike wonder and awe into the life of a “grown-up” that I’m constantly rebelling against.
That’s my hair spiegel, for now. I hope you’ve found something interesting enough to consider integrating more hair styling into your fits to bring you a bit of ballet-, cottage-, fairy- and/or kid-core aesthetics you might need to get through the colder days.
