If you've left the house in the last few months, you've seen
them around town: the Bandana Brigades, made up of teenage
and twentysomething girls with their heads covered, spring-cleaning
style. It's a relatively new fad, though a recycled one. In
fact, bandanas have served this country well since long before
the term "bad hair day" was coined.
In recent decades, we've seen them on Rhoda, the Village
People, '80s rockers, Scott Baio, Tupac, gangs, bikers,
people getting physical and, most recently, on WTO protesters.
But the fabric squares actually made their debut in America
more than 200 years ago.
Michelle Freedman, local apparel designer, western-wear
collector and co-author, with Holly George-Warren, of the
forthcoming book How the West Was Worn, helped me
uncover the rich history of bandanas. Here's a handful of
surprising facts about these national treasures:
1. Before the birth of mass media, these "little banners,"
as they were called, were often used to reach the people.
In fact, Martha Washington spearheaded the cloth-communication
craze. To raise morale during the Revolution, she conspired
with printmaker John Hewson to design a patriotic bandana,
despite a British ban on textile printing. The result was
a decorative cloth with an uplifting image of hubby George
on horseback, which became the first American souvenir bandana.
2. The crafty squares conveyed romantic sentiments during
the War of 1812, when a man headed to the front would pack
his stuff in one adorned with words printed by his sweetie.
Then he'd return (if both were lucky) with a printed, patriotic,
silk version for her.
3. Bandanas became campaign ads for party platforms and
politicians like Andrew Jackson and Teddy Roosevelt, as
well as bond souvenirs, promoters of bands, vaudeville acts
and movie stars.
4. Bandanas played a more functional role in the old West,
starting in the late 1800s. Red and blue neckerchiefs, or
mufflers, with simple patterns like paisleys and polka dots
protected cowboys from dust and were used for washing, signaling
compadres, tying up broken bones and disguising bank-robbing
outlaws. In the 1920s, rodeo promoters started marketing
"wild rags" printed with western scenes and slogans.
5. The trusty cloths even have a history in sports. Baseball
handkerchiefs celebrated championship drives by the Yankees
in '36 and, later, by the Reds and the Giants. In 1987,
Minnesota Twins fans bought "homer hankies" to wave during
World Series games. Elizabeth Arden even printed yoga-based
exercise instructions on red bandanas to promote her 1920s
salons.
If you're ready to don the youthful look, or if you just
want a colorful way to tie your hair back while scrubbing
the sink, check out the selection of bandanas around town.
MONKEY WEAR (811 NW 23rd Ave.)
Here you'll find kerchiefs in highly wearable animal-prints
($8), the standard blue and red cowboy squares ($3.50) and
batik, beaded hippie-ish triangles exclusively for headdress
($8). Head for the upstairs corner bin brimming with fetching
vintage scarves ($5) if you want something more original.
BUFFALO EXCHANGE (1420 SE 37th Ave., 234-1302)
The selection is limited but cute: The latest stock consists
of chiffon pastels with colorful, embroidered flowers ($6.50).
(It seems bandanas do still serve a practical purpose for
some: Sales associate Sarah Macias tells me she wears them
when she's cleaning to keep her hair out of her face.)
HOT TOPIC
(2201 Lloyd Center, 335-0264, and Clackamas Town Center,
12000 SE 82nd Ave., 653-6560)
The "alternative" crowd- and skater-friendly store has
the widest selection around: blue and fuchsia fake fur with
Velcro fasteners, thick knit styles and cotton-candy pink
or black with matching, metallic tinsel on top ($4.99 to
$9.99). (These are tough to pull off if you're old enough
to buy liquor, with some exceptions.)
URBAN OUTFITTERS
(2320 NW Westover Road, 248-0020)
According to manager Christopher Cornet, the store's most
popular version is a knit, sweaterlike style with beaded,
black leather tassels ($24). The ultra-hip outpost also
has a range of other styles ($10 and up). Like most of the
new ones around town, these are triangle-shaped, like a
bandana cut lengthwise.
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Willamette Week | originally
published January 26,
2000
|
