A New Scarf for a Different Purpose

You may have noticed I’m growing my hair out. I had my last sheering just before Christmas, and sometime around New Years I decided to let it grow out. It won’t get very long, maybe a chin length bob, but I wanted to have some length after four years of a pixie cut.

MimuMaxi skirt, chambray shirt, MimuMaxi scarf, and Dolce Vita sandals.

This isn’t my first time growing out a pixie cut, or even my second or third. I have a history of chopping my hair off every few years and then regrowing it a few years after that. I knew what to expect: awkward lengths, annoying layers, and just enough hair to get in my face but not enough to pull back. What I forgot was what to do with my hair on days when I just don’t want to wash it. I realized a few weeks back that I needed a hat or something for days when I want to look presentable but don’t want to both with washing, drying, or styling.

And then MimuMaxi stepped up to the challenge as it always does. If you follow this blog with any regularity, you know how much I love MimuMaxi. I’ve written about them here and here and think of them daily. They are a modest fashion brand founded and run by Hasidic Jewish women in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Their religious beliefs include modesty and covering one’s head, and so they sell scarfs, or tichels, for that purpose. I usually buy their frocks or skirts, but as my hair and laziness grew, I gave in and bought a scarf.

This is the prettiest I’ve ever felt without washing my hair. Bauble Bar earrings: similar here.

When it arrived, I eagerly ripped it from its packaging and then stared at it. It was large, as large as scarves I wear around my neck. What the heck was I going to do with all this fabric? How was I going to make it look as chic as they do? I’d only ever worn scarves around my neck. Well thank goodness for MimuMaxi’s Instagram tutorials and the help of my friend, Jamie. We studied their turban tutorial bent over my phone and Jamie managed to knot and tuck it in just the right way.

To celebrate my new look, I had a whole photo shoot in an alley.

“You look like Rosie the Riveter,” she said as we left her apartment. I’d paired the scarf with my MimuMaxi skirt leggings, chambray shirt, and Dolce Vita sandals. “Stop touching it, it’s fine,” Jamie chastised when she caught me fiddling with it as we made our way to the farmer’s market. “But I’m afraid it’s going to fly off and people will see what’s underneath!” It was a mess that day: unwashed and unbrushed. But thank goodness it remained in place as we walked the farmer’s market, ate breakfast, and as I slipped into a shop to try on a dress. The best part was that it was light and breathable, so despite 80 degree weather, my head remained cool and protected from the sun. We took my new look to the alleys of Moscow for a quick photo shoot. As I looked over the pictures, I wondered, “why did women ever stop tying their hair up like this?” It’s easy and chic.

I eventually returned to washing my hair, but make no mistake that I will wear it again come the weekend. It was nice to have a break from styling my hair without looking homeless, and who doesn’t want to look Rosie the Riveter?

**Photo and Styling credits go to the amazing Jamie Hill who made me feel sexy as hell in that alley.**