The following is a post from Kathryn Finney’s blog at Kathryn – Thoughts on A Lot of Things.

If I had to pinpoint the time when my “like” of head gear (whether it be turbans, headwraps, or an outlandish fascinator) became as “obsession”, it would have be one Easter Sunday in the early 80s. My grandma, who I call “Doonie”, had (and still has) the most amazing collection of church lady hats. This particular Easter Sunday she was wearing a dramatic, black wool, wide brim hat, which gave her the appearance of looking like a black Joan Crawford (sans the crazy arched eyebrows). I loved that hat (and later became the proud owner of said hat).

Fast forward several, unstylish, years later, I was introduced to the head wrap while living in West Africa. It was in Africa that I learned both decorative (making a sculpture on top of your head using nothing but cotton fabric) and practical (it keeps blowing sand and dirt out of your hair), powers of the head wrap.

Now, back in the states, headwraps are an integral part of my wardrobe, as important to my look at my hair pieces or my pair of Vivienne Westwood (another designer that I ADORE) for Melissa shoes..

This look was recreated using a batik/pareo given to me by my dear friend from Hawaii, Anna C.

For more on Kathryn Finney’s thoughts and musings about life and other things, visit her blog. And here are some other awesome stories –