Do you sleep with things on your Head?

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I’ve tried going to bed with wet hair and dry hair, up hair and loose hair, covered and not.  I’m sure most of you have as well, in your quest to figure out the best way to keep things from getting too out of hand overnight.  This next series of posts is going to discuss a few of the options, and why one or another might work best for your needs.

Gotta include a couple of fun facts first.  Obviously, the original purpose of a nightcap was to keep a person warm in a poorly heated house.  Think about it: you can keep everything but your head under the covers.   Read the rest of this entry »

Pantone, the international authority on color, has released what it’s Color of the Year for 2012, Tangerine Tango, a warm red-orange hue.  Like last year’s happy pink Honeysuckle, Tangerine Tango is vibrant, radiating energy.  It’s a little exotic, a little spicy, but definitely friendly and upbeat; this is an approachable shade of a color that can sometimes be off-putting in it’s brightness and visibility.  If you’ve been shying away from orange, definitely give this one a shot!   Read the rest of this entry »

If this post doesn’t make you hungry, I’ll eat my hat!  The question is, which hat?  I actually only have a few, being a tichel kind of girl most of the time…. Give me a few minutes, and I’ll scare up one of these tasty toppers.

• Nacho hat - Imagine a sombrero made out of a hard taco shell.  Create a bowl-shaped depression on the crown, fill it with flavorful melted cheese, and presto, Read the rest of this entry »

Ok folks, Black Friday has come and gone, Cyber Monday is nearly behind us…now it’s time to take the approaching holiday seasons seriously (if you want to, I mean).  I admit that a little snow would make it easier to feel festive right now, but alas we must play the hand we’re dealt.  Bryant Park’s skating rink is open anyway, and latkes are tasty all year-round.

So, whichever holidays you care to celebrate, take advantage of an opportunity to avoid the horrendous lines, out-of-stock merchandise, and crabby shoppers and do your business online instead.   Read the rest of this entry »

‘Tis the season for gratitude, so I’m going to use this post to express thanks.

As you can see, hat and hairstyles have been coming and going throughout the ages.  Every now and then something “retro” or “vintage” comes back into play, but there are plenty of toppers and ‘dos that have faded into the shadows of history – with good reason.  You have to wonder what inspired some of these styles!  But mainly, I’m grateful that people rarely walk around looking like this anymore – and that I’m not expected to follow these trends.

• Rubber bathing caps with fake flower petals: These are not comfortable.  They do not look real.  They do not increase your hydrodynamicism (I totally made up that word, but you know what I mean).  Stick with plain Lycra folks, ok?
• Nightcaps: I know we have modern heating to thank for this one as well, but I’ve seen one too many episodes of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman that featured Horace and Myra in hideous 19th century pj’s, complete with a pompom-ed stocking cap for him and a frilly mob cap for her.  And as someone who covers completely for much of the day, bedtime is my only chance to let my scalp breathe.  When it’s dark, no one can see your greasy/unstyled/frizzy hair anyway, so you might as well let it down. Read the rest of this entry »

A good lather and rinse (followed by conditioner!) is all most people need to keep their hair clean.  Unless you have unusual hair circumstances, everyday oil and dirt buildup aren’t all that hard to deal with; by now I’m sure most of you have a routine down pat.  But every now and then something weird happens to you (or one of your kids or students!), and you’ll find yourself frantically Googling for advice.  This post will cover some basics of dirty-hair emergency management.  If you have any questions or icky hair scenarios, comment and I’ll see what I can find to help.  Be prepared!

The basic toolkit for dealing with unusual substances includes: Read the rest of this entry »

“O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-ey’d monster…” Well, the jealousy I’m thinking about is more of a green-haired monster.  Or a green-scarved monster.

You know what I mean.  Everyone knows someone whose tichel is always tied perfectly, and in a way that would make your face look fat.  Or someone who has a different hat to wear every day of the month, for both seasons.  Someone whose hair is always shiny/bouncy/curly/straight and never flat/dull/frizzy/frumpy – like your own.  You’re torn between worshiping her perfection and wanting to throw a paper bag over her head.

Some women don’t stress about their appearances.  Either they’re confident about their abilities to construct an outfit, or they just don’t care.  But there’s a huge middle of the road where you have women that constantly struggle to pull themselves together. Read the rest of this entry »

My previous post about Native American headgear covered some pretty wide bases, but there’s a whole world of accessories beyond hats, so I just had to share some more highlights.  For example, everyone knows the word “wampum,” but do you really know what it means?  And you may be aware of Southwestern silver-and-turquoise jewelry, but do you know when it was first developed?

Wampum comes from the Narragansett word “wampumpeag,” which means “white strings” – referring to strings of white beads made from a type of whelk shell.   Read the rest of this entry »

It’s almost Thanksgiving once again, and as the black-and-orange decoration disappear from store shelves, they’re quickly being replaced with cornucopias and those big black buckled hats that we spoke of last November.  My previous turkey day post focused on Pilgrim fashion, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to mention some interesting Native American (or First Nations, or American Indian, or whichever term you feel is most descriptive) styles.  There are a LOT of styles to cover (for half a continent’s worth of people, so yeah), but here’s a rundown of the most commonly known, or otherwise really interesting-looking.

As I said last year, those big feathered head-thingies that you typically picture when you think of Native American clothing are war bonnets worn by Plains Indian men (Sioux, Comanche, and Cheyenne are some of the most commonly known Plains tribes), mostly for ceremonial occasions.  Feathers were added to a bonnet in honor of great deeds done in battle; in order to begin making one, a person had to earn ten such honors Read the rest of this entry »

Yes, you can wear white after Labor Day.  We’ve been over that before!  And no, it doesn’t just have to be “winter white.”  Bright white (with cool or blue undertones) is just as acceptable year round as shades of white with warmer, yellow overtones.  According to Elle magazine, white has been very popular this season.  White is great because it can be either simple or elegant; it’s so versatile!

If you doubt that there can be more than one kind of white, I dare you to find a wedding gown website.  Prepare to be boggled at the possibilities!  If you’re not sure what shade will look best on you, consider your skin tone.  ”Winter” and “summer” skin have cool tones, and look good with cool whites.  ”Autumn” and “spring” look better in warmer whites, like ivory. Read the rest of this entry »

Who likes to curl up with a good book?  If you do, read on.  If you don’t, this post might change your mind.  If you’re on this blog, it’s because you’re at least curious about hats and hair coverings and so on.  In that case, this booklist might interest you: each of these selections features hair covering in some way or another.  If you’ve read any of them (or have another suggestion!), leave a review in a comment!

• In High Places by Harry Turtledove.  A young French secular Jewish girl, who happens to be a time traveler, is sold to a slave caravan and dons a veil as a necessary disguise.
• Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah.  Set in Australia, a Muslim teenager decides to wear hijab full-time, and deals with a variety of reactions from friends and loved ones. Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes regular old coats and hats are just boring.  You get sick of wearing the same ones every day, don’t you?  And who wants to cover up a sharp outfit with a baggy sweater, just to stay warm?  Beanies and berets and cups of steaming coffee are so obvious. Sometimes it’s nice to have a few alternative ways to stay cozy when the temperature drops.  Here are my favorites.

• A shawl/pashmina/poncho/ruana wrap.  They’re one-size-fits-all, and they’re easily put on or taken off.   Read the rest of this entry »

‘Tis the season to start thinking about keeping warm – and stylish! – during the winter.  Sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves, shawls, earmuffs, neck warmers, wrist warmers, headbands…there are lots of awesome choices, so everyone should be able to find exactly what they want/need!

Some popular winter fabrics are made of natural fibers, while others are synthetic.  Natural fibers (different types of wool and fur) are great for bad weather Read the rest of this entry »

There are bad hair days, and there are bad hair days.  They might be caused by laziness, mistakes, accidents – or your hair might just be particularly high maintenance.  Even hair-coverers have them: sometimes your tichel just won’t tie right or keeps sliding back, or a hat you love suddenly makes your face look fat, or your wig is in desperate need of a professional wash and set.  It stinks when your normal routine fails you like that.  But to put things in perspective, imagine having a permanent bad hair day. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m going to change things up a bit and talk about the fascinating past of a male item of headgear.  A turban is a piece of cloth that is wound around the head, sometimes by itself, and sometimes over a cap.  There are dozens of ways to wrap and tie them, often unique to particular areas or tribes.

Turbans are practical for people living in hot countries, because they protect the head from the sun and are not easily knocked off by wind or exertion.  In some places, part of the cloth is used to protect the neck and face as well as the head.  Because they are generally made of long, unfitted pieces of cloth (up to 50 yards long!), turbans are one-size-fits-all. Read the rest of this entry »

Back in the day, when unusual furs, feathers, and other exotic animal decor were precious commodities, having a tiger-skin rug or an eagle-feather headdress were major status symbols.  If you had the skill or the money necessary to acquire them, then you got respect to go with it.  Nature has given us some of the most beautiful and interesting colors and patterns, which we borrow in order to beautify ourselves and our surroundings.  Fortunately, you don’t have to be a hunter to use the natural world for inspiration anymore.

The most popular animal prints are truly striking; leopard spots, zebra stripes, peacock feathers.  Tigers, cows, giraffes, snakes and more have lent their colors and patterns to apparel and accessories.   Read the rest of this entry »

For the fun of it, I just Googled “hat’ and then “hair” to see if any interesting news stories popped up.  I thought I’d find some fashion reviews, or celebrity mentions, or something like that.  Well, I got two good stories – but they were NOT what I was expecting!

The best hat-related story was funny, in a horrible sort of way.  A woman got mad at her ex-boyfriend, and for revenge, she put 24 of his favorite baseball caps in the bathtub, doused them in gasoline, and lit them on fire.  She was arrested on charges of mischief and arson, Read the rest of this entry »

When you picture certain people, you automatically dress them in certain clothes.  Think about the dress-up box in your kindergarten classroom – all those uniforms.  Wearing a uniform helps people recognize what a person does.  But how did we come to associate mortarboards with graduating students, or those tall white hats with chefs and bakers, and so on?

The first police uniforms were created in London in 1829; the first US police uniform was established in New York in 1853.  Those outfits were basically dark, plain versions of what most people wore back then. Read the rest of this entry »

Going into a home where everything is perfectly arranged and coordinated can be cool, but it can also be intimidating.  If you don’t have a natural flair for spatial relations, moving past milk crates and a futon can be sort of scary.  But your dish towels don’t have to match your pot handles; there’s more to having an attractive home than that!

I always tell people who are moving, put up your curtains right away.  You could have a housefull of cardboard boxes and partially-assembled Ikea stuff, but if you’ve got curtains in the window, your place looks lived in and put-together.  It’s practically magical. Read the rest of this entry »