Hair Wear – The Instant Makeover
By Kat Ramsingh
Forget hours of straightening and blow drying, this season’s hair is all about the accessories you put in it. Cheaper and much more fun than a haircut, a playful hair piece requires no stylist and may be just the thing you need to bring your look up to date. Think of it as jewellery for your hair; dress up with a sequined 70’s style headband or play it casual with a school style alice band.
Hair pieces were on everybody’s minds (both literally and metaphorically) at this year’s Fashion Week, with feathers, oversized bows, sequinned bunny ears and lace all making an appearance on the heads of runway models. If London Fashion week is doing it then we know it’s hot!
The fashion glitterati appear to have already embraced the trend with The Olsen twins, Lady Gaga and Lily Allen spotted wearing pairs of bizarre black lace animal ears, made by infamously abstract designer Martin Margiela. Although the animal ears look may have been a great idea for Halloween, for some not-so daring everyday wear, head to the high street for the best selection of hair accessories.
Urban Outfitters has a great range of girly bows and textured Alice bands; whilst queen of the high street Topshop is the best choice for wilder hair accessories; they’ve got everything from Native American-style feather headdresses to sequin covered headbands!
If you’re looking for something a little more retro – à la Dita Von Teese, Accesorize makes 50s glamour easy with their vintage style fascinator hats and headbands. Head to ASOS.com for 20’s style hair wear adorned with large flowers not to mention big bows! For the ultimate indulgence, be sure to check out ASOS Black which is offering a range of limited edition pieces; designer Jennifer Behr (the woman who creates accessories for the queen of headbands - Blair from Gossip Girl) has created an exclusive line of hair wear for the website, which includes headbands covered in glamorous satin and crystal. Might be a little out of your student budget though at a whopping £265 each!
But if the sound of these high street shops is making you sob in despair at your lack of cash, never fear, this trend is possible on even the tightest of student budgets. For those with a small amount to spend, give DIY a try; all you need is a plain alice band, some superglue and a dash of imagination. Have a root around your room and use anything you can find to customise your alice band. Try broken jewellery, old clothes fabric or even some stationary (paperclips are perfect for the punk look). Simply glue them to the plain hairband and then leave to dry. Voila, a unique hair accessory for little more than a pound! Now you’ve got no excuse not to give them a try
