With the band
Every morning on my way to work, I stop off at the local coffee shop. Truth be told, I need a serious shot of caffeine before I can think couture. Standing in line, listening to the bountiful beverage preferences, I begin to think about making choices. As we do at Starbucks, over time we tend to develop favourites: clothing, trendy or timeless; men, creative or corporate; lipstick, natural and nude or pucker-up pink. So when designers crowned the newest member of spring’s It list, I made the choice to get with the band…the headband, that is. After all, with the easy, natural hair on the runways this spring, a head-turning band is just the “hairapy” the doctor ordered.
The last time I truly took to this trend, I was wearing a smock dress and a giant smile for Grade 1 picture day, but the haute new headbands from the runways are anything but kindergarten cute. The vixens at Valentino wore licorice-thin double bands in eye-popping red, Marc Jacobs’ futuristic flappers wore silver mesh bands with bejewelled bubble gum–sized stones, and Louis Vuitton’s burst of blooms on thin wire bands were très romantique.
Despite the fact that hair accessories are the crowning glory for spring, hair adornment has always upped the ooh la la factor of any fearless female. Think Marie Antoinette’s beaucoup de bows or Carmen Miranda’s fruity fixations. But unlike these lovelies, avoid a hair- (and eyebrow-) raising experience by following our red light/green light rules—guaranteed to make you stop traffic…for all the right reasons.
Red Light: Barrettes with bows. Aim for chic ’n’ pretty, not Hello Kitty. Green Light: Headbands with bows. Very Chanel, which is always a “mais oui” in fashion speak.
Red Light: Headbands with a blowout. Keep some movement in your hair to avoid this coiffure faux pas. Green Light: Easy elegance. Tousled tresses and messy topknots keep the look naturally sexy.
Red Light: Accessory addiction. Earrings and necklaces should be kept minimal. Emphasize a fresh face instead. Green Light: Modern minimalism. Think ballet, not bijoux, and simplify the look.
See more of Sarah’s hairband picks.
