They say three’s a trend—and screw it—I don’t care if it’s trend or the majority of the world still “wouldn’t be caught dead” wearing a scrunchie (squeaked in a Carrie Bradshaw voice). I want one in my hair.
I’m not exactly sure at what point I decided not to die on the hill that no self-respecting New York woman would wear a scrunchie. I think it first started when I read Harling Ross’s delightful piece for Man Repeller that chronicled her sudden, unexpected desire to stack rings of fabric around her ponytail. (This, too, was also to her dismay.) Then, this summer, I saw two girls (one from Brooklyn, the other went to NYU) wearing them at a party at Penn State, of all places. And then that was followed by two celebrity scrunchie spottings: one on Bella Hadid, the other on Ariana Grande. My reactions quite honestly surprised me: I did not hate them! Any of them.
The one thing holding me back, though, was that in all these cases scrunchies still felt a bit…young. I’m 28. I’m not, like, dead inside, but I also no longer feel a desire to be “cool” for cool’s sake. I once tried space buns and felt very much like when Lenny on 30 Rock poses as a high schooler—which is to say, wildly out of place.
But no longer. Yesterday, scrunchies got the ultimate stamp of approval: Mansur Gavriel—the brand behind the decidedly “it” bucket bag—launched its first-ever clothing collection, along with a line of absurdly chic scrunchies.
Even in the fashion world, the accessory is still polarizing. “When I heard scrunchie, I was like, ‘Ahhh!’ It is my nightmare,” Bumble and bumble lead hairstylist Laurent Philippon said of his reaction to the designers’ request. “But actually no, it’s done in a very cool way.”
And cool it was. To go along with the delicate shirting- and floral-patterned scrunchies Rachel Mansur and Floriana Gavriel designed, Philippon whipped up what he calls “nothing” hair, a look that’s supposed to seem like you didn’t put any effort into—but, of course, did. That said, the legwork did seem pretty easy. Every model’s hair at the show was washed and then air-dried. The finishing touch was a little styling product based on their hair type.
For fine hair, Philippon spritzed in Bumble and bumble’s Prep to give the end result some sheen. He also recommended a hydrating styler like Bumble’s Bb. Don’t Blow It Fine (H)air Styler or Don’t Blow It Thick (H)air Styler depending on how much moisture your hair needs. After that, you shove your hair behind your shoulders, wrap the scrunchie “loosely” (this is key) at the base of your neck so it’s still slightly messy, and—bam—you’ve got fashion-girl hair.
I get that it sounds ridiculous, but look at this hair and tell me you don’t want it. Please, I dare you.
I might not work at W, and I might not live on Perry Street—but I do live in Brooklyn and often frequent “hip downtown restaurants.” Moral of this story: Maybe Berger was just ahead of his time. And you better believe I’ll be buying one of these the second they drop.
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–Fall 2017 Hair Ideas to Steal Straight From the Runways
–The Real Reason Celebrities’ Hair Always Looks So Shiny
