Thursday, July 11, 2019

The Hairy Truth About Scrunchies . . .


. . . is that they're totally awesome!  I know, I know.  I once vowed to resist this resurrected eighties/nineties trend.  To never fall for its amorphous allure or wind its graffiti-print, calamari-like rings around my precious ponytail.  Because there's something provincial about it that makes you (okay, me) feel like you're admitting defeat.  I blame such snobbery on that episode of "Sex and the City."  You know, the one where Carrie and Aidan argue about whether a scrunchie-sporting woman at a restaurant is a New Yorker.  Carrie says that she isn't; Aidan insists that she is.  When they ask her, she reveals that she's on vacation and gushes that she's flattered to be mistaken for one of Gotham's glamazons.

Then I saw the reboot.  (Of the scrunchie, not "Sex and the City.")  And it's more than just a, as my mom used to say, ruffle wrap.  It now comes in a myriad of colors, prints, fabrics, and even structures.  Some look like old-school telephone cords.  I was really excited about that and snapped up this fluorescent foursome.  Sure, when I tried to wear them in my (admittedly unruly) locks, they got lost and looked like dead jellyfish.  But that only inspired me to string them on a ribbon and wear them as a necklace.



In other updo doodad overhauls, the elastic part isn't even the, ahem, mane event, but a mere anchor for scarves and bows.  They're so pretty, like something you'd see on a bobby soxer or Disney princess.  I snagged two in red and yellow, Ronald McDonald style, albeit in autumnal florals, as well as a hot pink one printed like a bandanna.  The effect is summer fading into fall.  Kind of like an acid rain-spiked watermelon crashing Thanksgiving's still life of corn and cranberries.


That's the thing about trends.  Sometimes, it takes more than a minute for them to make sense to you and secure a place in your heart's true blue wardrobe.  Sometimes -- like the Cranberries -- you have to wait and let them linger.

And also, admit that a comeback can overcome a comment from New York's couture queen.

2 comments:

Samantha said...

You look so cute in those bright colors!!! You certainly have a knack for re-creating the function of cool accessories, like with the scrunchie-trio-turned-necklace! I especially love the three hair scarves at the end of your post; they are very Disney princess-like AND 50's! It's a stunning look in your outfit photo (love your hairdo, by the way!)

Jewel Divas Style said...

I first saw scrunchies in 1989. Yep, 30 years ago. I was in year 10 at high school and none of the girls knew what it was. I showed it off and laughingly joked that it looked like a bride's garter belt.

Well, within days the rumour went around that Tiara was so poor she couldn't afford a scrunchie and was wearing a garter belt in her hair.


*insert really hard eye roll*

I started buying and then making them after that as we had all sorts of material lying around as mum always made stuff. So it was easy to grow the collection. I continued wearing them up until I cut my hair off 7 or more years ago and have kept them.

I also see they've come back in fashion a few times these last years and everyone makes a big deal about how they've made a comeback.

Ah, no, they never really went away as I was still wearing them. they were always there, just never "in fashion" the way they used to be.