How to Wear a Headband: From a Paris Comb to Velvet, Pearls and Silk

Dear Friends, in 1971 a Paris hairdresser named Louis Alexandre Raimon gave his name to a line of hair accessories, and the very first piece was a comb. It was the Vendôme comb, crafted in Félix Huchard's workshop in the Oyonnax valley, between Lyon and Geneva, where farmers once carved combs from boxwood and horn. The maison still sews its headbands in a Parisian workshop, and each piece is certified Handmade in France. So think of a headband the way that hairdresser did: as jewelry for the hair.

 

That is the lesson, and it makes how to wear a headband a short list of decisions. Where it sits, how wide it is, and what the rest of you is doing. The old horseshoe Alice band, named after Lewis Carroll's heroine and said to date to around 1871, was built to hold long hair off the face and let it hang free at the back. Everything below is a modern option for the same idea, from padded satin to pearls.

 

Padded and knotted bands are the place to begin, and October suits them. I would reach for the Tori in cappuccino satin from Jennifer Behr with a camel coat, padded and lined for a no-pinch fit. The slim black Tiana, handmade in New York, is the one for a bare face and a white shirt. Lele Sadoughi's Twill Knotted Headband in blush is the playful pick, lovely over a ponytail with a trench. For dinner, the black Re-Nylon from Prada and the rose velvet Avril from LELET NY look dressed up with a black sweater. The black satin Charlotte from Lele Sadoughi has a small gold shell detail, and the cream Rosie is quieter.

 

The practical test: set the band just behind the hairline, tip it back half an inch, and walk around the room. If your temples ache in ten minutes, the padding is too firm for you.

Velvet had its big adult moment in the late twentieth century, when velvet Alice bands were popular among Sloane Rangers in the United Kingdom, and I still think of it as the autumn answer to satin. Picture her on a gray Tuesday in a wool skirt, opaque tights and a collared knit, with a black velvet band keeping her hair off her face. That is the whole outfit, and it works.

 

Width does most of the work with velvet, so read the details. The Tori in black velvet from Jennifer Behr is silk velvet, handmade in New York, 1 inch wide with half an inch of padding, so it looks soft and rounded. The brand launched in 2005 and still makes everything by hand, which is why the Lacey, a thin silk-velvet band on a flexible grosgrain-lined base, feels so slight. For more volume, the puffy Michelle from EACH and the Velvet Halo from Free People both sit high on the head. The Padded Velvet from Prada is a black band with a triangle logo plaque, a clean match for a gray coat. Lele Sadoughi's Bardot adds a small ribbon bow at the crown, and the cream Velvet Gigi has a black floral lining that only shows when you tuck your hair behind it.

 

The fitting-room test: run a finger along the inside edge, which should be smooth, then shake your head. A good one stays put.

 

What I would skip: a very puffy velvet band with a high, voluminous ponytail, because the two shapes fight each other.

In the 1920s the headband went with newly cropped hair, and Vogue says silent film stars Clara Bow and Louise Brooks were both fans. A thin band is still the quietest one in the drawer, and the easiest to wear on an ordinary weekday. It works with a bob, a short cut or loose long hair with a part, and it asks nothing of the outfit.

 

Tortoiseshell is the classic. Alexandre de Paris makes its acetate pieces in the Jura, where the craft goes back to carved combs, and the Plaisance in tortoiseshell and the Thin Headband in Tokyo Tortoise both have comb teeth, the Thin one hand-made in France. The Bleeker in chocolate tortoise from LELET NY is glossy resin with comb teeth too, and the Tortoise Lydia from Jennifer Behr has a gently curved wide band in a high-quality acetate. Machete began in 2015 when its founder turned deadstock acetate into earrings, and the Ultralight in poppy is hand-polished Italian acetate in a color that wakes up a navy coat. The Bertie from Free People is a skinny tort-print resin.

 

Not every thin band is shell. The Lucy in espresso is slim silk satin on a flexible half-inch base, lined in grosgrain, so it reads softer. The gold Rhinestone Headband from Ettika is thin wire studded with clear crystals, and it adds a glint without much weight.

 

The test: wear it through a full coffee. If the arc is too narrow, thin acetate presses behind the ears, and you will know quickly.

 

What I would skip: a glossy tortoise band with tortoise earrings and a tortoise belt. One shell is a detail, three is a theme.

Princess Diana once turned an emerald and diamond choker into a headband, on a tour of Australia in 1985, which tells you the rule of the genre: anything can be a headband if you hold your nerve. Vogue also points to Simone Rocha's sparkling headbands for spring/summer and autumn/winter 2019, so jeweled bands have been back for a while.

 

You do not need a gala. Jennifer Behr's Kamila has a raised silhouette that suggests a tiara, on a fine base with a vine of crystal flowers and pearls. The Lulu is the quieter one: a row of pearls on a whisper-thin black velvet band, crafted in New York. Lele Sadoughi began making headbands because her kids were 17 months apart and she had no time for her hair, and she jeweled them up until they became a thing. Her Knotted Imitation Pearl Edge and the Slim Knotted Crystal-Embellished are the dressy end of that story. The Faux Pearl from Alexandre de Paris is black wavy acetate, handmade in France, and the Grand Hotel from PARIS by Debra Moreland is thin silver-tone with pearls. The Crystal Flower from Ettika has crystal flowers, and the Inez from Free People is a double band with glass gems and secure teeth. I went deeper on a related idea in Headbands in Style: Pearls, Bows, Velvet and Leather Bands.

 

My test for anything jeweled: tilt your head and shake it a little. Nothing should shift, and nothing should catch on your sweater.

 

Wear one with a simple black dress and nothing else sparkling. In my fashion dreams it is a December dinner and a single row of pearls does all the talking.

 

What I would skip: a crystal band over a heavily textured updo, where the stones tangle.

A scarf is the most flexible answer, because you choose the width. Post-war, Vogue says, the headband went back to its decorative roots, sitting atop a beehive or finishing a New Look outfit, and a folded silk square does that job with no hardware at all.

 

The Kaylee Headwrap in cobalt and the Kamryn in cream, both from Jennifer Behr, are silk georgette handmade in New York, with the soft drape that makes them easy to fold. The brand says to keep its headbands in the dust bag and to use hairspray before the band goes in, never after, which is good advice for silk in general. The Bridgette from Free People is a silk bandana-style scarf in a navy print that ties over the hair, and a set of two printed satin scarves in wine tones gives you a spare. For print, Lele Sadoughi's Jackie is a leopard silky handkerchief style, and the Knotted Bandana in brown twists into a wide top knot. The Chrissy from Free People is a sheer wine triangle scarf with bow embroidery, and the Portia from Ficcare is super thick, in layered black fabric, for a bolder frame.

 

The test: knot it twice and move your head. Silk is slippery, so a band that ties into the hair will hold better than a loose square draped on top.

 

What I would skip: a sheer scarf in a rainstorm, or with very fine, slippery hair, where it will not stay put.

Here is what I would do, in order. Begin with one black velvet band, because it works with a wool skirt, a camel coat and a white shirt. Add a thin tortoise band for ordinary days, and a row of pearls for the holidays. Keep a silk scarf in the drawer for the days nothing else behaves.

 

The hairdresser who named his line in Paris in 1971 started with a comb, and the lesson holds: a small piece of hair jewelry, placed just right, changes the whole outfit. Put it behind the hairline, tip it back, and keep everything else quiet.

 

With love, and a clean hairline,