Could a headband replace your Birkin, or any designer handbag for that matter? Long gone are the days when headbands were exclusively made for little girls in bright colors and cartoonish prints. The luxury sector has co-opted the once childish accessory in order to offer its customers something designer and logo-clad to wear during the pandemic. And charging hundreds of dollars to wear one!
Headbands for adults have been on the fashion scene before. Sex and the City’s Charlotte York accessorized her formal wardrobe with cute and elegant headbands and helped to popularize the trend throughout the show’s run from 1998 to 2004. And more recently Prada debuted ultra-chucky headbands at its spring 2019 show. But now it looks like the eccentric accessory could have an advantage over other luxury products.
Many fashion lovers are eager to incorporate designer items into their outfits but have been unsure how to do so due to the pandemic. With many people now working from home via online means, such as the video communications platform Zoom, industry insiders are exploring the concept of other wearable forms of luxury, such as headbands.
The hair accessory is set to allow luxury lovers to dress up and show-off their favorite designers from the comfort of their own home.
The curator of education and research at the Fashion Institute of Technology’s New York museum, Melissa Marra-Alvarez, argues that designer headbands are a great fashion trend to embrace during this time. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal Magazine, she describes the accessory as an “expressive and accessible way to dress up and show individuality—especially during a moment where we have a much more relaxed attitude towards dress”.
We’ve done some digging and found versions of the accessory from the best luxury brands out there.
Louis Vuitton offers a Leather Headband in its Pre-Fall 2020 collection. The black leather accessory is trimmed with Monogram canvas and will set you back $510. LV also offers a soft version made from stretch jersey in all-over Monogram for $445. Alternatively, if you wanted something more versatile, the house sells bandeau scarves which could double up as hair accessories for $195.
Vuitton is not the only house who wants to dress up your hair. Gucci offers a GG Flora print silk headband for $450. The brand has also released a velvet headband in collaboration with designer Ken Scott which you can buy for $395. Chanel sells matching black and white versions of the cute and quirky style for $500 each.
Or if you are after something très chic, Dior sells its Parisian Headband for $710.
Designer headbands certainly tap into the idea of accessible luxury that has been on the rise for sometime now. Despite costing hundreds of dollars, the trend is certainly cheaper to keep up with than a love for designer bags (trust us, we should know)!
It is probably safe to say it will take more than a global pandemic and subsequent worldwide lockdown to shake our love of the Birkin and other luxury bags. But, certainly for now, designer headbands seem like a great luxury supplement, at least until we’re freer to go out and about and start working from the office again. The trend could also potentially help the luxury sector recover after the economic fallout from COVID-19.
Are you a fan of this new luxury trend? Could you see yourself rocking a designer headband on your next Zoom call? Let us know.
Photos courtesy of Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel and Dior.
- Olivia Elliot posted 3 years ago
- last edited 3 years ago
