Vintage Hair Accessories
November 12, 2014Women’s Vintage Hair Accessories followed the fashions of the day and looking back on the 70s one is reminded of loose flowing fabrics, maxi dresses and bright block colours. Hair styles changed radically and were much looser and softer than in the early sixties. The flower power movement had allowed women to wear their hair loose and long, without the heavy backcombing and up dos that had been the fashion in the early sixties and late fifties.
Vintage Hair Accessories in the 70s and 80s
Long and loose
Various-styles
Long hair then, was definitely in fashion during the 70s worn simply straight or curly. Hairstyles were varied too and not just worn long and straight, there was the shag, the wedge, the mullet, page boy, afro and the Farrah, which was named after the Farrah Fawcett Majors look, which she wore during her time as one of Charlie’s Angels.
Similar in a way to the Rachel cut from Friends worn by Jennifer Aniston, Majors’ feather cut caught on and was copied by millions of women.
Hair accessories – to crochet or not to crochet
Hair accessories at this time would be used to help keep hair off the face, and hair bands were popular worn either thin or thick. Hair bands would often be adorned with flowers and flowered patterned fabric. Vintage hair clips were also worn to hold the hair back, often with crocheted flowers attached, or all of the clip would be covered with crocheted knitted wool.
70s hairclips
crochet links bandeau hairbands
Banana clips, scarves and hair combs were all worn and are still popular today. Stick clips were popular and sometimes made of wood or leather. They worked by holding the leather or wooden piece over the hair and putting a stick through the holes provided, so the hair was held securely in place. This would be worn to hold all of the hair or just part of it. Scarves were also worn as head bands.
Native American inspired hair stick
1980s
The 1980s is always seen as the time that fashion forgot, and it was a definitely period where bright neon colours and attention grabbing outfits were the norm. Accessories ranged from fingerless gloves and plastic jewellery, fedoras, legwarmers, jelly shoes and swatch watches.
Yes, the banana clip and the wonderful scrunchie
Hair was worn up or down short or long, banana clips were still popular and oh yes – those scrunchies. These were elastic bands covered in brightly coloured fabric, worn in to tie the hair back. Pony tails were often worn on top of the head or to the side. Comb grips were still popular but with brightly coloured bows in shiny plastic. Neon colours were popular and would sometimes be used to decorate vintage hair bands with the ubiquitous bow. Fabric hair bands with massive bows were also popular with big hair and wild fringes.
scrunchies
Want a 70s or 80s look?
All of these looks can be recreated and there are many places both on the internet and at high street vintage stores where you can find 70s and 80s vintage hair accessories, especially if you’re having a themed party, or you want to adopt a certain look. You can also look for vintage fabrics to create your own 70s or 80s looks if you’re stuck finding something that really works.
Vintage Hair Accessories in the 90s and 00s
The 90s and 00s and how hair wear has changed – or has it?
Early nineties vintage hair accessories carried eighties trends through for the first few years. Hair styles changed gradually however, with the ubiquitous scrunchies still holding its own and hair bobbles making a comeback for grown-ups.
The big, big pony tail
1990s ponytail
Thick, wavy ponytails were worn high and to the side, or high up on top of the head. Bantu knots were tiny curly buns worn all over the head,and long plaits worn to the side and held together with a scrunchie were popular. Buns were also worn at the top of the head with the rest of the hair loose. A hat worn on the back of the head with the hair falling out at the front was a brief trend, as were “alien” buns worn at each side of the head.
bantu knots
Big hair and straight hair
We saw the DIY and the pageboy bob, big hair worn to the side and volumised, and of course the Rachel cut. Gradually, volumed hair gave way to poker straight hair in Europe with hair straighteners becoming more widely used. Grunge brought dirty hair, and skater hair is best forgotten, with brutal centre partings for the boys, and ironed hair worn with bandanas, hoop earrings or the dreaded sideways baseball cap.
skater
Complicated ponies and zig zag hair knots…vintage hair accessories we’d rather forget
Apart from hats, bobbles and scrunchies, vintage hair accessories in the 90s also saw snap in hair clips in different colours, bandanas and small butterfly clips. Hair claws, zig zag hair bands, and topsy tails that helped you to pull a pony tail through the back of the hair were popular, for a short time thankfully. Using the topsy tail involved using a piece of plastic with a loop to pull your hair through the rest of your hair at the back, and would only be achieved once you’d come close to fracturing both your elbows with the strain. Once removed, zig zag hair bands had usually taken at least half your hair with it, lying on the bathroom floor, stretched out of shape, with dead hair knots tangled in its teeth.
assorted plastic zig-zag hair clips-4-pack
Vintage Hair Accessories – In to the noughties
With the rise of reality TV, we had fake tans and “scouse brows,” ombre or solid colour hair. While some still straightened their hair, afro slowly came back for a more natural look and a break from the damage hair straighteners had caused.
As the 2000s went into full gear we saw straight hair gain momentum and as we reached the 2010s onwards we saw the arrival of slim fit clothes and a return to grunge and skater fashion. Plaits evolved into the fish plait and volumised hair worn to the side evolved into long hair worn to the side with the opposite side shaved above the ear.
The pony, the bun and the wave of the mermaid…
Today, looks from the 90s have evolved into newer, fresher styles in Women’s vintage Hair Accessories. The pony tail is still alive and kicking, but worn glossy and slick with centre partings – or finger waved at the front. Pony tails create the illusion of plaits with elastic bands worn at intervals down the back of the hair (stock up on elastic bands for this!). Ballerina buns are big and rather than being worn at the top of the head, they’re worn at the back, with a wet look, or the illusion of messiness– so keep a good stock of hair grips and bands.
Mermaid waves with the hair hanging loosely down the shoulders and back with a side or centre parting are in keeping with a natural look and are reminiscent of the Pre-Raphaelites.
So we may not go back to the days of those wild and childlike vintage Hair Accessories now, in favour of something more subtle, more natural – but if you really can’t live without zig zag hair bands and claw grips, then why not? After all fashion is always about reinvention, that’s why we love vintage hair accessories so much. So if you want a scrunchie evening – please go ahead.
80s adornment
Bardot with long,loose hair
fonda
Charlies angels – Majors’ feather cut
farrah_fawcett_again
Mullet-Haircut-for-Men
Bowies Mullet-cut
JenniferAniston
Sequined,beaded hair stick
80s Red Satin Bow Headband
Savez-vous bien choisir vos couleurs
Vintage Hair Accessories80s adornment
Bardot with long,loose hair
fonda
Charlies angels – Majors’ feather cut
farrah_fawcett_again
Mullet-Haircut-for-Men
Bowies Mullet-cut
JenniferAniston
Sequined,beaded hair stick
80s Red Satin Bow Headband
Savez-vous bien choisir vos couleurs
Vintage Hair Accessories-80s adornment
Bardot with long,loose hair
fonda
Charlies angels – Majors’ feather cut
farrah_fawcett_again
Mullet-Haircut-for-Men
Bowies Mullet-cut
JenniferAniston
Sequined,beaded hair stick
80s Red Satin Bow Headband
Savez-vous bien choisir vos couleurs
Vintage Hair Accessories80’s hairstyles
dramatic-bun
1970s Afro Hairstyle
Brooke Shields in ‘The Blue Lagoon’
Megan fox with Mermaid waves
Vintage Hair Accessories – 80’s hairstyles
dramatic-bun
1970s Afro Hairstyle
Brooke Shields in ‘The Blue Lagoon’
Megan fox with Mermaid waves
80’s hairstyles
dramatic-bun
1970s Afro Hairstyle
Brooke Shields in ‘The Blue Lagoon’
Megan fox with Mermaid waves
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