Bandanas? (no politics, please)

[tropicalbob]

A couple of months ago I walked into my usual store and was reprimanded for not wearing a mask: this sudden change seemed to happen overnight. So I went home and ordered a couple of masks, but when they arrived I found them very uncomfortable to wear,sort of claustrophobic. Then I saw a couple of characters wearing bandannas and remembered my fondness for them back in my younger years (good for wiping down sweat or guitars, or sweaty guitars). So I went on Etsy and bought about a dozen of them in all different colors and patterns, and I believe I've got a new addiction. I find them much easier to deal with than the masks and simply wind them up smaller on my neck when I don't need them. And I think they look kind of cool.
A funny thing happened the other day: I was standing at the counter of the store waiting for the salesguy to go into the back to get my carton of smokes when two guys came in from the Brinks truck to take the cash to the bank. I'm standing there with my Panama hat and a black bandanna over my face, looked at the two guys, and then saw myself in the mirror. The guys looked at me and I laughed and said, "Just waitin' on my smokes" Nobody else laughed. Best I stay home as much as possible these days.
p.s. I see our friend from The Well-dressed Head is offering original ones from 1920s France that he found a bolt of somewhere. They're going for $75.00 each.

 

[Edward]

I started wearing bandanas as simple neckwear three or four years ago, and like them very much. I've not been using them for mask purposes during the pandemic as I picked up a couple of actual masks (I wanted a full on gasmask, but I couldn't find one that could accomodate my glasses!). This is what I've been wearing recently. First photo was a make-do disposable until the second arrived:

Now that we're looking at a longer-term issue, I'm considering investing in something nicer. I alrwady have an industrial version with a rubber seal and hard plastic bits, but I have my eye on something along these lines:

More my aesthetic than what I've been wearing. Interestingly, I've noticed in recent weeks all sorts of this type of thing on Etsy beingp roduced with filter pockets rather than just cosmetic. Another Covi-19 knock-on effect.

Another option I considered is to get one of those neck-tube type bandanas popular for keeping the neck warm on a motorcycle, and fasten that over the top of my current mask. For those who don't like the feel of wearing a mask, I wonder if it might be possible to sew a filter pocket into a bandana?

As face-covering becomes a new normal, I think it's gonig to be interesting to see how fashions and subcultures adapt it into an overall look. It's been interesting seeing how many producers of vintage-repro goods havealready started making selvedge masks and such, as well as the additon of filters to the leather options. I'm rather hoping Aero might make a leather mask design so I can match my jackets with them! (My very tolerant other half is doubtless sensing me type this in the other room, and will be rolling her eyes at my excitement for a new accessory!)

 

[BobHufford]

I buy just about every USA made bandana I run across in the thrifts (well ... back when I went to the thrifts). I use them all the time and have found some nice older patterns and vintage advertising (Levis, Carhartt, Key, etc.).

My wife and I have been using them for masks as of late. We even bought a couple of new ones (also to help the artists of the Navajo Nation -- hit hard by this pandemic).

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Another option I considered is to get one of those neck-tube type bandanas popular for keeping the neck warm on a motorcycle...

Neck gaiters. I have two but they are not very suitable for masks. One is for warmth in cold weather riding & actually has some kind of membrane between two layers. The other is a very lightweight satin for sun & windburn protection when riding. I just went the cotton bandana route too.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

I buy just about every USA made bandana I run across in the thrifts (well ... back when I went to the thrifts). I use them all the time and have found some nice older patterns and vintage advertising (Levis, Carhartt, Key, etc.).

My wife and I have been using them for masks as of late. We even bought a couple of new ones (also to help the artists of the Navajo Nation -- hit hard by this pandemic).

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Nice Navajo pattern, Bob!

 

[Edward]

I wonder if thissort of usage of bandanas will bring them back to (men's) mainstream fashion? They never seem to have not been on sale here in the UK, though primarily the mainstream market forf them still seems to be for ladies' hair. The last tiem I think I can remember seeing men wearing a bandana as neckwerar in mainstream fashion was probably Bros in 1989, and their fashion imapct (as a boyband) was primarily upon women.

 

[Cornelius]

I buy just about every USA made bandana I run across... My wife and I have been using them for masks as of late. We even bought a couple of new ones (also to help the artists of the Navajo Nation -- hit hard by this pandemic).
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Brief PSA: For anyone interested in donating, this project has had great success in helping the Navajo & Hopi survive through the Coronavirus.

 

[Colin G]

in mainstream fashion was probably Bros in 1989, and their fashion imapct (as a boyband) was primarily upon women.

Lol.

I forgot about that band until now. Thanks alot Edward.

 

[Frunobulax]

I started out with the bandannas, as my wife had a pile. Shortly thereafter, I ordered some cotton ones from an Etsy shop in CA, and have been using them. I'll need them for when I eventually return to the office. But every time I look at one, it looks like a women's thong bikini.

I'm working through my issues...

 

[belfastboy]

I wore my masky/bandana thingy yesterday when I went to the post office to pick up a parcel. The clerk is the same one for the past 20+ years. I pulled out my driver's license as ID and when she placed the box on the counter I flashed my ID. She looked at me and said...." even behind that mask I know it is you Robert." I am thinking I had better not try robbing my bank then!

 

[tropicalbob]

I wonder if thissort of usage of bandanas will bring them back to (men's) mainstream fashion? They never seem to have not been on sale here in the UK, though primarily the mainstream market forf them still seems to be for ladies' hair. The last tiem I think I can remember seeing men wearing a bandana as neckwerar in mainstream fashion was probably Bros in 1989, and their fashion imapct (as a boyband) was primarily upon women.

When I first noticed the concept of "fashionable" masks on the web it struck me initially as comical: fashionable prosthetic items (models hobbling down the runway, etc.). As mentioned above, though, bandanas have always been around and have a bohemian flavor, besides being interesting in themselves for their many colors and designs. The word itself comes from Sanskrit (Bandhana) which means "a bond" or "to tie something" (probably the etymological root or the English word "bond"). It seems they were first produced as a fashion item in the West in Glasgow, which makes sense when you consider that city as not only the hub of British shipbuilding but also the home of so many soldiers who served in India.
It's a little unsettling to think that face-coverings are going to be with us for some time but we may as well get used to the idea, and I think bandanas may very well come into their own once again. The idea of leather masks is one I hadn't considered, as they remind me of certain scenes at the old Hellfire club in NY back in the 70s that I'd just as soon forget, but you never know.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

But every time I look at one, it looks like a women's thong bikini.

Really that's what the look like? I've never actually seen a pair out of the pkg.

 

[belfastboy]

Really that's what the look like? I've never actually seen a pair out of the pkg.

My wife made my a couple of masks....she threatened to put lace around the edge to make them look even more like thongs.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

My wife made my a couple of masks....she threatened to put lace around the edge to make them look even more like thongs.

You know what they say, Victoria's Secret makes their money off married men, not married women!

 

[tropicalbob]

I started out with the bandannas, as my wife had a pile. Shortly thereafter, I ordered some cotton ones from an Etsy shop in CA, and have been using them. I'll need them for when I eventually return to the office. But every time I look at one, it looks like a women's thong bikini.

I'm working through my issues...

Funny, but when I first received my masks they came in a little bag of two, and when I took them out it looked like someone had simply cut a bra in two. Strange thoughts when I tried putting one on.

 

[Haversack]

My wife and I have been using bandannas for masking since this started. Distinctly cheaper since we already had them. One trick I've been using since I wear glasses is to place a folded up facial tissue inside the folded over bandanna where it rides on the bridge of my nose. This helps absorb exhaled moisture and helps prevent the lenses fogging up. As far as the 'road agent' look goes, it reminds me of playing cowboy back in the late '50s-early '60s.

 

[belfastboy]

Funny, but when I first received my masks they came in a little bag of two, and when I took them out it looked like someone had simply cut a bra in two. Strange thoughts when I tried putting one on.

I could never get one off never mind learn to put one on.

 

[tropicalbob]

I buy just about every USA made bandana I run across in the thrifts (well ... back when I went to the thrifts). I use them all the time and have found some nice older patterns and vintage advertising (Levis, Carhartt, Key, etc.).

My wife and I have been using them for masks as of late. We even bought a couple of new ones (also to help the artists of the Navajo Nation -- hit hard by this pandemic).

View attachment 239827

One of my favorite memories of my visits to India (my wife is from Chennai) is the fairly frequent use of calico as a material for curtains. One of my wife's aunts had a window with yellow fabric that produced a really nice and restive glow in the warm afternoons. When I commented on it at the time, the aunt responded by showing surprise that I had noticed it. I supposed that it was one of those little things (good or bad) that foreigners notice that the natives long ago ceased to even think about. It happens all over.

 

[Sonero]

I am growing my hair out due to Covid. Been into purchasing cotton wraps and bandannas to keep the hair out of my face. I have this one on order :

A KENTE pattern from Africa.

 

[jonesy86]

I've had this one for years, but can't remember where I got it from. I've always had a bandana in my pocket, to be used and/or worn in various ways.
Interesting history of bandanas.

https://www.heddels.com/2017/05/the-history-of-the-bandana/