How to Style This Thing: The Bandana that’s Back From the ’90s

If you had for a quick second presumed that fashion had left its ’90s obsession in 2019, hold that thought. In the past year or so, more trends from the ’90s have resurfaced than I have fingers to count them. The bike shorts straight out of an aerobic workout video; bucket hats borrowed from street wear; pulled-from-a-librarian’s-closet cardigans; scrunchies that were once the default hair ties of the bygone era…we might be all of two decades past the ’90s but these trends from way back then have followed us into the future.

The nostalgia of the ’90s continues to sweep through fashion. The latest wave of reminiscence comes by way of bandanas. Google your favourite pop icon from that era and there’s a 85 percent chance you’d find at least one photo of them donning a bandana. Victoria Beckham circa her Spice Girls days, Aaliyah at the peak of her stardom, Christina Aguilera during her Genie Days and even fictional pop sensation Lizzie McGuire.

They all wore it in the same style – bandana folded into a triangle, wrapped around the hairline with the ends tied underneath a ponytail or hairstyle of choice. Back then, the bandana was paired with midriff baring crop tops and low slung jeans. The bandana is the only thing you want to be taking from the ’90s into 2020. The rest of that outfit anatomy? That’s one for the history books.

The bandana might have been a hit on the Fall runways but we’re taking the trend forward to Summer. Like any headgear, it’s pretty much an instant solution to any bad hair day that come around more often on the warmer days of the year. Humidity, frizz, go figure. It’s also an unsuspecting cover for when the roots start to show after one too many missed appointments to the hair salon.

Just as designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Simone Porte Jacquemus did at Dior and Jacquemus’s Fall/Winter 2020 presentations respectively, we’d bring the bandana into the present with a discerningly modern full look. With the bandana bringing an inherent touch of badass-ery to any outfit, keeping the rest of the outfit sleek and feminine is one way of keeping things contemporary.

Give the rudimentary cap or bucket hat a break this year and opt for something that’s a little bit out of the norm. Are you ready to hop onto the band(ana)wagon?

Loewe Patterned Neck Scarf

Vanessa Bruno Joe Double-Breasted Cotton-Blend Blazer

Miguelina Tily Crochet-trimmed Linen Bralette

Frankie Shop Suzanne Pleated Tencel-Blended Shorts

By Far Paola White Leather Sandal

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