Everything to know about the history of the headband
As the models emerged on Prada’s spring/summer 2019 catwalk, their padded headbands immediately made an impact. Worn with every look, in designs from pearly shell pink to black studded leather, Miuccia Prada’s luxurious creations kick-started the resurgence of this age-old accessory.
In many ways, the headband is less a singular item, more a whole genus of accessories. It can be padded à la Prada or a classic Alice band, so named after Lewis Carroll’s eponymous character (followed by Disney’s 1951 film, which further cemented the girl who tumbled into another world’s status as a memorable headband wearer). Its incarnation as a wrap or a scarf has a history as long as it is complex, ranging from specific faith-based and cultural uses to Gloria Swanson lounging around in silks. It can also be something elaborate, closer to a fascinator or headpiece.
No surprise then that the reference points are so immediately wide-ranging. Headbands and their attendant variants have been around for centuries. Mesopotamian fillets kept hair in place, while Greek laurel wreaths were rooted in mythology; both were images of intellectual or physical prowess. Then there’s medieval diadems and the ever-eternal flower crown, beloved of ancient civilisations and Coachella attendees alike.
Above: Pandora depicted wearing a wreath.
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In the 20th century the headband moved through plenty of iterations, too. In the 1920s it was worn by a new generation of women determined to do away with past sartorial restrictions. Ideal for accentuating fashionably cropped hair, silent film stars Clara Bow and Louise Brooks were both fans. It’s a detail of the decade that’s stuck ever since: any Great Gatsby-themed party is incomplete without a sea of feathers bobbing from spangled headbands.
Above: Actress Louise Brooks wears a wrap headband in the 1920s.
Come the 1930s, Coco Chanel made the headband look effortless, styled with belted white trousers; while the 1940s saw it take on a more practical guise for women in the Second World War. This functional headband not only changed the position of women in the professional sphere, but also the role of clothing in a society where, for a while, fabric rationing and workplace requirements called for pragmatism. Most famously worn by Rosie the Riveter in her poster proclaiming “We Can Do It!”, the red polka-dot bandana—described in another ad as “Water repellent. Washable. Dust proof.”—formed part of the uniform of Women Ordnance Workers.
Above: Rosie the Riveter wears a headband in the Westinghouse poster during WWII.
Post-war the headband returned to its decorative roots. It could reliably be found atop a beehive or adding a final touch to an immaculate New Look-inspired get-up. Brigitte Bardot wore them frequently; most famously in Le Mépris, her wide navy scarf accompanied by stripes and thick eyeliner. Grace Kelly always looked polished in hers. For Audrey Hepburn, headbands came with bows (and sometimes accompanied by her baby deer Pippin). Jackie O wore one in hot pink during a trip to India. Sharon Tate’s flower child garb was completed by headbands worn low across the forehead.
Above: Audrey Hepburn wears a headband in 1958.
First Lady Jackie Kennedy wears a headband in India in 1962.
Sharon Tate wears a headband circa 1968.
Tipping towards the loose lines and easy glamour of the 1970s, Diana Ross plumped for glitz and velvet, while Bianca Jagger favoured opulent headwraps and metallics for her Studio 54 nights out. The 1970s also saw the return of the headband in a sports context—the legacy of 1920s tennis player Suzanne Lenglen continued in Björn Borg’s famous striped terry-cloth styles. Off court, the rise of fitness videos in the 1980s inspired some memorable looks from the likes of Olivia Newton-John and Cher, a brightly coloured headband proving the perfect counterpart to spandex and leg warmers.
Above: Diana Ross wears a headband circa 1973.
Cher wears a sweat headband in 1984.
In the 1990s and 2000s, the Alice band returned to the fore. Hillary Clinton wore them frequently; while on screen, the preppy all-American won out, from Alicia Silverstone in Clueless to Selma Blair in Legally Blonde, and the ultimate queen of headbands and venomous remarks, Leighton Meester as Gossip Girl’s Blair Waldorf.
Above: First Lady Hillary Clinton wears a headband to a 1997 White House event.
With this legacy, the headband now occupies an interesting position: running the gamut between carefree afternoons on the beach to political rallies and heady, after-dark occasions. It’s been the domain of coquettish flappers and machinating students, wannabe princesses and neon-bright fitness queens, boiler suit-clad workers and perfectly manicured women. And it will forever evoke Princess Diana, repurposing an emerald and diamond choker as a jewelled headband during a tour of Australia in 1985.
Above: Princess Diana wears a headband and David Emanuel dress in Australia in 1985.
Today, the headband suggests a certain kind of cool too: the minimalism of Dior’s spring/summer 2019 sleek bands over even sleeker hair, or the eclectic (and, crucially, Instagrammable) appeal of fur and pearls crowning braids à la Shrimps. In the hands of Simone Rocha, with her inclusion of sparkling headbands, they’ve become something delectable. These are a new type of headband altogether. One that taps into the current taste for late 1990s/early 2000s’ rhinestone-and-barrette-edged nostalgia, while also offering the pure childish pleasure of donning a toy tiara, a glimpse of gems or satin nestled atop a head held high. Whether worn by ambitious girls or royalty, the headband is the ultimate chameleon, which will no doubt retain its allure for years to come.
Above: A headband on the runway.