Just recently I found myself in a Google hole after my curiosity about Justin Bieber's engagement had me researching who on earth Haley Baldwin was. Bieber fans might be shocked by my lack of such knowledge but in my defense, I could technically have birthed the man (albeit as an extremely young teen mom) and because of this generational gap couldn't name a song of his for any amount of money. According to TMZ, People and the like, Haley is a super successful well known model. Whether or not Justin maybe gave that career a nudge remains to be realized. But enough on the debate about her marketed success. While meandering through photos of the couple I realized that whatever we argue about her prominence pre-Bieber, one thing cannot be denied, Ms. Baldwin is making me and no doubt any fashion savvy lady yearn to wear scrunchies. This is really important for Gen Xers and Early Milennials like myself. Why? Well, we have sort of a love/hate relationship with the voluminous hairband. We've experienced this trend the first time around. We've known the hype, the "must have it" feeling, the first foray into diy/sewing of one's own scrunchie, the exchanging of scrunchies with friends, peak scrunchie... the wearing of them not only as hair adornment but as wrist and ankle decoration, and consequently the total abandonment and shunning of scrunchie after over saturation. After departing with my beloved collection, I remember vowing to never wear one again. I also remember "omg"-ing when I spotted anyone who just couldn't let go of the trend.
Fast forward to 2010, it seems yearly since, articles here and there proclaimed that scrunchies were back. Versions appeared infrequently in fashion editorials and American Apparel stores, but they never quite caught on. Here we are in 2018, with a strong 80s renaissance not only on the runway but in retail markets, and it really seems scrunchies are ripe for a major resurgence. Now design houses are embracing them, smaller companies are rebranding them as more luxurious, like Comfort Objects' "Hair Clouds", and they are showing up all over young celeb's instagrams (see Haley Baldwin rock one below). So is this really the return of the scrunchie and can they really peak again as they once did? I say firmly and confidently no.
"But why not?" you ask. Allow me to elaborate.
First, since their hey day, scrunchies have become a polarizing accessory. Any of us who experienced peak scrunchie can tell you, our relationship with them is comparable to when you overindulge on that trendy liquor drink that has been your go-to for a couple years. You don't want anything to do with said liquor for a very, very long time afterwards. And you are okay with that. You were getting tired of it anyway and enjoying it to excess helped you realize maybe it's time to move on. Those who missed out on the scrunchie years may be pro-scrunchie and more willingly embrace their return. However for the trend to come around full throttle, we would have to convince a whole generation, a huge segment of the fashion loving population, it won't make them "sick" again.
Second, Scrunchies just can't come back in the same form and blow up. When the bells of the 70s came back around as the flares of the 2000s, they were improved, the design was modified, i.e. stretch denims, lower rises, more subtle cuts and different washes. Even the current 80s renaissance is a reinvention of it rather than just a rehashing of the same exact designs. For scrunchies to be embraced, maybe something innovative has to happen to them. Maybe Sarah Jessica Parker was onto something with her giant scrunchie? Maybe scrunchies should morph into headbands which are much more accepted right now? Perhaps an update for festival flower crown lovers?
Finally, scrunchies fit perfectly into an era when bigger, brighter, and shinier was better, aerobics wear was everywhere, and hairstyles required at least half a bottle of hairspray. They seemed a modest accessory among teased up clouds of hair. Both teens and adults were on board. It was an appropriate accessory for literally any occasion. In our current sartorial environment both silhouettes and hairstyles are much more subdued and whether you rename it a haircloud or embrace it as a scrunchie, they have very limited use in our current aesthetic. Youth and Juniors looks are playful enough to utilize the beloved accessory but beyond that their appropriateness diminishes.
Perhaps our continual desire to embrace the scrunchie trend will one day lead to an innovation that will induce scrunchie fever again. Maybe a proclamation that scrunchies are back will finally ring true. Until then they'll be a housebound/lazy day accessory for me and I'll be content watching Haley Baldwin and other Gen Z'ers embrace them for the first time. How do you feel about the comeback of the scrunchie? Do you think the 80s revival will help usher them back to their reigning accessory status? Would you really wear them again (outside of your house)? Leave your comments below.