Embracing Going Gray ~ Turbans

Turbans available Lacey Rose Creations 

Recently I shared needing to cut off my hair due to health issues and not being as comfortable with the look as I once was, especially in my retro look lifestyle... even tho Jean Seberg once made a similar crop very chic to have after she cut her hair off for Joan of Arc, as well as actresses like Audrey Hepburn and Leslie Caron to name a few who also went short, but not quite as drastic as Jean or myself. Health was the driving force, but I could have left the hair a bit longer, but was just not wishing to deal with the "skunk stripe" , especially with being in the public eye. I did not even consider how I would feel with a "buzz cut" however. So here I was, 90% of the colored hair was gone, but so was what was to me, a retro style identifier...but that is just rehashing my last post. I shared then that I was now wearing scarves and true turbans, and that even my entire family had not seen my hair. That continued for a week, even after revealing my new cut via my latest YouTube episode; they really do not watch. I finally decided to unveil it to them and it was a mixed reaction, not bad or negative, just maybe taken aback. I still have not posted photos to Instagram or FB, so unless you have seen my video.... OH and just two days ago I shortened the fringe so that it would be less whispy and it removed even more of my faux color, leaving me with just a tinge of blue black on the top. I am now obsessed with berets, scarves, and turbans even more! Especially during the colder months and well I am not ready to unveil to my nail gal either...sometimes it is easier to hide than explain. 

Short hair has me hiding....
*Jean Seberg 

Now when I ordered my turban from Lacey Rose Creations via Etsy, I was not too knowledgeable about them in 1950's or early 60's style, I had seen a few photos, but for the most part I thought of Turbans as a more 1940's style, and of course they were very popular then, they were bigger and elaborate and I often see many of the ladies on Instagram that do the more 1940's look using them to top off their look ....even when I received my turban in the mail in the note card it was mentioned that they were more 1940's. I was curious, so I started doing a bit of research on the subject and collecting images. Now I do not mind rolling in a bit of the 1940's to my look, you have all seen me with a scarf on ala "Rosie the Riveter" , but that seems more accepted and the norm and is done with a  chiffon scarf or bandanna style scarf. I was amazed at how many images I did find that was women from the 1950s wearing turbans. 

Wearing a chiffon scarf ala Rosie
*brooch and earrings from
Housewife Chic by Ruby on Etsy 

  

 

If you are not familiar with the definition of the turban, here is a break down.... The word Turban is a description of a millinery design where fabric is wrapped and twisted and secured to create a turban/head wear that is now closely molded to the head.  It usually covers most or all of the hair. Of course how it looks, how big, be it stuffed, stiffened or adorned depends on the era, or fashion choices or even  ethnic/religious groups that may be wearing one. Turbans have been worn by women since as early as the 18th century, perhaps even further back, and there has been varieties of turbans through to modern day and not just by retro/vintage women or by women forced to cover their head due to health, religious or cultural reasons. 

Examples of turbans over the years in Hollywood

So what about in my style pocket, the 1950's ? Well, draped turbans sbegan to regain popularity again in the mid 1950s .  The Times reported in 1955, upon a ensemble designed by Dior that was  compromised of a sheath dress created in brocaded silk, with a  matching jacket trimmed with sable fur and then as a finishing touch a brocade silk draped turban. Turban styles were adapted to accommodate more bouffant hair styles. There was also a report of  Milliner Claude Saint-Cyr , who was in charge of designing hats for the Queen. One that was mentioned within all my research was a soft "supple" felt turban created in 1956, that covered the ears and rose to a draped peak at the back of the head. Similar if not the one to the one in this photo from 1960/

The Queen with Harold Macmillan in November 1960
Photo found via google search and not owned by me. 

I can imagine that if the queen wore it, it would not be long before a style firestorm would begin and many a woman would work a turban into their wardrobe, much like how women in the states followed the starlets and first ladies to guide how they dressed in their own life. That has not changed, don't we all still look up to those in the public eye to inspire what we wish to look like and how we dress? But I digress. This is about the fact that I am now trying to embrace my grey, but getting started on that path ( yet again) and do it in a drastic way; by cutting off all my hair. The thing is I still want that feeling of being chic and retro ( in my own eyes), and avoid a lot of explanation when I go out and run into people I know, or when I post photos to social media. This is also about me trying to cope with how I feel when I look in the mirror having just recently having had hair and a hair color that inspired others, and was an instant visual that represented to others and even to myself that I was a retro/vintage lady, even if in just a pair of jeans and a T shirt. Having hair this short , although it being something women did have in the 1950's as photos ( all of starlets mind you) I shared in my last post showed , for me , in my eyes, when I look in the mirror does not scream 1950's. Askewed thinking, yes, but it is what bounces around in my head. So turbans and scarves ala Rosie it is, at least for a couple months when the buzzed portion lengthens and softens a bit. At least now know that turbans ARE something that was around and worn quite a bit in the 1950's so I can feel a bit more like myself while I follow this path of embracing grey and my new much shorter hair.