Top It Off
Marie Claire - US|September 2017

Nothing makes you look pulled-together faster than a hair accessory. A beauty junkie explains her signature fashion statement.

Felicia Walker Benson
Top It Off

My fascination with ornate headbands, embellished barrettes, and quirky combs began when I was a preteen. But, to be abundantly clear: This isn’t a schoolgirl crush. Though I’ve worn headpieces since grade school, the aesthetic is hardly childish. While the idea of a headband might conjure pubescent memories of stretchy elastic or cheap, poorly crafted (and often painful) plastic specimens, my collection is different. Very different. Wildly different. Bedecked with Swarovski crystals, feathers, gilded leaves, and birdcage veils, my assortment is 100 percent grown woman,and I have a very grown-woman reason for the infatuation. 

Headbands deliver maximum fashion impact with minimum effort. In fact, it’s not just headbands that do this, it’s also hairstyles. Whimsical braids, buns accented with a barrette, and on-trend hair colors can all make even the most basic outfit infinitely more interesting. I get it—anything that seems remotely like a “hairdo” brings to mind images of precocious toddlers, not polished professionals. But allow me to make my case.

This story is from the September 2017 edition of Marie Claire - US.

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This story is from the September 2017 edition of Marie Claire - US.

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