Trying to maintain a professional look while still letting your freak flag fly?
Stand back JoJo Siwa, imma bout to shed some deep light on how the hair bow and fascinator apply to modern era business people.
Close your eyes for a moment and picture yourself standing amidst the crowd of the Kentucky Derby. Mint Julep in hand, a bookie slip in the other and the smell of fresh dirt stirred up by racing horses surrounds you as the crowd cheers and jostles to the beat of the announcers jovial tones. What are you wearing? A smart suit, or elegant cocktail gown fitting of the weather and the style of the year? What about atop your head?
Well, no one of good upbringing would be caught at the greatest gala of the year without a perfect fascinator.
In my personal life, I have found the difficulty of dressing up for the business side of fandom while still adding that silent but obvious nod to my roots to be, troublesome at best. That was, until I found the underground community of hair bow makers (and much later, the short lived line of bows at HotTopic). Suddenly there was a class all of its own of subtle yet beautiful emblems of my fandom, from Pokemon to Star Wars all the way through Studio Ghibli films and elements of the periodic table. Representation among bows and bow-makers was full of diversity, and one could conscript an artist to build them the perfect Moana inspired bow, or design it yourself and wear your unique art with pride. Hair bows complete any adorably classic or modern look without becoming the entirety of the look, and while the exist as a conversation piece, I have found that most people don’t even realize the bow represents something abnormal.
This is probably why they work so well as an accessory to a business person’s attire: for those in the know, they are a nod to culture and community, and for those who couldn’t be bothered they are just a slightly more exuberant addition to regular garb.
In that same vein, I have begun collecting (and designing) what some might call “mouse ears” which are reminiscent of the classic Mickey and Minnie Mouse ear bands you might find in Disney Parks, but take on a whole life of their own with themes ranging from the stylish and trendy to the outlandish and gaudy. Etsy is where these artist reign supreme and my goal one day is to have a store I can link here to showcase all my fun and fancy free designs.
Until then, I’ll just keep rocking my bows and dreaming up more ways to show my fandom pride in the workplace. Let me know in the comments below, how do you add your fandom to your business wear?