Turbans - terribly chic, yes, but can you pull them off if you're not on the catwalk or the red carpet? Alexandra Jones is The Experimentalist and she learned how to style the trend...
Do I dare do a turban? Believe it or not it's a question I've asked myself before.
Back in the day (2010) I was interning at a fashion magazine. Between being bummed out by my severe lack of funds, having a mini-breakdown every time my mum called to ask about my "career" (ha ha) and being permanently lost (London newbie) I also managed to cultivate my first major girl-crush.
She was an intern as well but, like, cooler. She did that blogging thing everyone was going on about and her life seemed just as bright and shiny as the hyper-saturated photos she took with her DSLR. She shopped "vintage" but never smelled like grannies and she regularly wore turbans. Needless to say, I was somewhere between desperately in love and desperate to be her. I even bought a turban, but never did dare to wear it.
Oh I tried. I did mirror pouts, outfit changes, head tilts and high-angled shots. I think I was looking for a bit of the elusive cool my girl-crush seemed to have a load of.
Turbans have been around ever since the start of the Seventies revival. At SS13 they appeared at Marc by Marc Jacobs on a slew of super-hot models, colourful toppings to some natty pyjama-style outfits. All well and good if you're breezy and bohemian but the effect isn't quite the same on someone who was once likened to "Jay" fromJay and Silent Bob (courtesy of my boyfriend).
Luckily, I'm no longer left to my own devices with these things. I have style maven Amy Bannerman to turn to. "They are a chic addition to swimwear," she said. "I love a towelling turban, preferably worn poolside with cat eye sunglasses and a cocktail in hand. In the city, they're best with jeans and a white t-shirt or make one out of a printed scarf for evening.'
I didn't have a pool but I did have a glorious Saturday, a fun, printed turban courtesy of ASOS and a back yard to recline in. It worked a treat at keeping my hair out of my face but was pretty sweaty by the end of the day (having said that everything was pretty sweaty by the end of the day).
There is something inherently chic about a turban; it's a trend that can transform a casual outfit into something altogether more exciting. My one time girl crush pulled it off because she wore it with confidence, something which I was evidently lacking back in 2010. The question is, three years down the line, have I gained enough in confidence to dare to do a turban? Well, yes. But for now, just in my garden.
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