How to Wear Vintage Headscarves
As you probably know by now, I am a BIG headscarf fan. It's a look I've always adored, and stems right back to little 16 year old me wishing I had the confidence to wear them. (Ok so it was in much more of an emo style back then but there was a confidence issue nonetheless!) My style has evolved a lot since and luckily, so has my confidence. I never feel that twinge of insecurity around them anymore, wondering if people will judge me or if I'll wear it correctly - in fact, most of the time I have to tell myself I need to stop wearing them so often in case people start to wonder if I'm going bald or something! (I'm not! 😉)
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| This is one of my favourite scarves and the one you'll see me wear most often. I've had it forever but think I originally bought it from a vintage shop in Camden. It's a fairly large square, made from a matte-type silk and is so easy to tie, and more importantly, stays put! |
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| Jasper gave me this one as a gift for my first Mother's Day - the idea was to use it as a cover up when feeding in public! But the next day, lockdown began so I've temporarily repurposed it as a head scarf. It's a thin fabric, a very large rectangle and made from recycled plastic bottles! It's from a local gift shop but the brand is Pom (Peace of Mind) Boutique. |
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| This autumnal scarf is from a vintage shop in Worcester that I picked up earlier this year. It's pretty much the same size, shape and fabric as my blue one (above), so gets worn an awful lot! |
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| This is a very long, thin satin scarf that I bought in Peacocks a few years back. It turned out to be a nightmare for wearing on my head until I discovered I could plait it into my hair and tie in a bow on top of my head! Now I think it'll become a bit of a staple, but only for this hairstyle as it's no good for other ones. |
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| I love the colours in this scarf but as it's a super thin chiffon, it doesnt make for a very thick knot so I tend to be limited to only tying bows, and the material doesn't stay put too well. I have no idea where it came from as I've had it forever, but it likely came from a charity shop wayback when. |
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| Another vintage shop purchase, this is a square one that I adore for autumn but as it's a really shiny type of silk, it slides down my head all day long, even with clips! When I do have the patience for it, it ties a beautiful half bow, as above. |
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| This large square, ivory one was a birthday gift last year and is covered in beautiful butterflies! It's made from my favourite type of silk so is super easy to wear and doesn't slide out of place. |
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| I've again, had this one for years and can't remember when or where I bought it! It's a really long rectangle, and a very thin, floaty silk, but isn't that easy to knot / hold in place so only comes out occasionally. It makes a great statement piece though with the lengths hanging down your back / to one side! |
My favourite places to shop for true vintage headscarves are charity shops, vintage fairs & shops and places like Camden market. I've built up my collection gradually over the years (as you can probably tell by the fact I can't remember where I bought half of them!) but there are some lovely finds on the high street too.
Here's a roundup of my current favourites that you can get hold of online. I've picked some for their shape and some for their fabric, but I've picked all of them for their gorgeous colours and patterns...
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| 50s Pin Up Polka Dot / Stripe Head Scarf, £7.99, Gas Axe Inc |
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| Watercolour Floral Silk Scarf, £15, Accessorize at Very |
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| Lemon Print Headwrap, £8.50, Rockacherryx on Etsy |
Speaking of summer, this one is currently in very real danger of falling into my shopping basket! I've had an obsession with citrus prints for the past year or two and the fact that this one is also reversible makes it incredible value for money... kinda rude not to, don't you think!?
I want to pair this one with a dark blue denim dungaree dress and white catseye sunnies for that laid-back 50's summer chic.
From lemons to cherries... I've chosen this one because I have a skirt in the exact same fabric so had to include it here! It's another simple wrap so again, super easy to wear, and you'll be ready to go in minutes. No surprises that I'd team it with my cherry print pencil skirt, red off-the-shoulder top and black accessories.
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| Floral Printed Scarf, £19.99, Violeta by Mango |
This glorious little coral number would look great worn à la Mad Men's Megan Draper, with a black rollneck, black skinny jeans and black loafers, with simple silver jewellery.
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| Floral Printed Scarf, £12.99, Mango |
And lastly, if you want to play it a bit safer, this gorgeous gingham headband is the perfect beginner piece for your foray into the world of retro styling. Plus it's got that summer picnic vibe totally nailed! Comfy, effortless and without a pin in sight, I'd go bold and wear this with matching gingham capris and a cute white cropped cardi buttoned up - and of course a set of shades for looking chic in the sunshine!
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| How to Tie a Scarf, £8.19, Amazon |
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| The Art of the Scarf, £8.19, Amazon |
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