Alice band

Alice bands made of plastic and stiffened fabric

An Alice band (the technical term for a hair band) is either a flexible horse-shoe shaped garment or a loop of elastic material which is designed to fit over the head and hold long hair away from the face, but let it hang freely at the back.

History

The Alice band is said to have originated in the period around 1871, following the publication of Lewis Carroll's novel Through the Looking Glass. In John Tenniel's illustrations for this book, Alice is shown wearing a ribbon which keeps her long hair away from her face.[1]

The Alice band has had periods of popularity in adult fashion, most recently in the late 20th century, when velvet versions were popular among Sloane Rangers in the UK.[1]

The Alice band used to be an almost universally female item of clothing, but recently has gained popularity amongst men in some countries, owing to a fashion for long hair. The use of Alice bands by men was possibly first made popular by David Beckham and Ronnie O'Sullivan.[2]

In the United States an Alice band is known as a head band or "headband".

References

  1. 1 2 Cumming, Valerie; Cunnington, C.W.; Cunnington, P. (2010). The Dictionary of Fashion History. Oxford: Berg. p. 4. ISBN 9781847887382. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  2. ↑ "David Beckham with hairband". dailymail.co.uk.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.