Favorite Thing to put on my Head (Lolita 52 Challenge)

When it comes to Lolita headwear, there's certainly no shortage of it. Headdresses, headbows, bonnets, clips, headbands, combs, hats--you name it, a Lolita would probably put it on her head. Even things like tablewear and pieces of cake aren't unheard of. So that leaves headwear to be a pretty open concept in the Lolita universe.

Rapunzel Headdress from Antique Beast

But my heart is forever linked to the one and only original Lolita Staple: the rectangle headdress. Particularly, of the all-black or black-and-white variety. This, to me, is my absolute favorite thing to put on my head.

When I first discovered Lolita, the rectangle headdress was all the rage. Frilly rectangles were donned by just about everyone who wore the fashion. And I fell in love with its shape. I loved how it framed the face, how it had no real function other than its beauty. It wasn't like a headband, which has structure in order to hold hair back and in place. No, instead, all the rectangle headdress of the time did was lay on top of your hair, and provide yet another place for lace and bows to reside. And nothing could have been better.

I plan on doing a "history of rectangle headdresses" type post eventually (along with some tips on how to work them into non-old school outfits), so I won't go into much detail here about the actual history of the lovely thing just yet. Suffice to say--rectangle headdresses are bomb, and even as a fourteen year old I could recognize that fact.

Spin Doll Headdress by Baby the Stars Shine Bright

Rectangle headdresses have gotten something of a rep of being "old school only" accessories, which is honestly a pity. So far as I can tell, Rectangle headdresses are the only Lolita-specific accessory (that is, the only accessory in Lolita that does not have a historical counterpart, or was taken from mainstream fashion). And they're the perfect medium to exude "beauty before practicality" approach that so often becomes a requirement when entering the Lolita world. Lolita clothes are anything but practical; and the frilly, beautiful piece of Lolita-dom that is the Rectangle Headdress wears the crown as the accessory that best exemplifies that, in my book.

The post above was a response to the Lolita 52 Week Challenge made by the ever so delightful Caro over at FYeahLolita.